Standing Against The Ruthless
by RedIsSkinDeep
Summary: Tohru is acting differently and keeping to herself, and then she tells Kyo a secret. When some ruthless people from her past show up looking for revenge, there is certainly hell to pay. Kyo/Tohru, Momiji/OC. No flames, ConCrit appreciated.
1. Out Of the Ordinary

**A/N: Hello people. I've never posted a serious story that I was planning to continue, so this is my first! I hope you like it, and please review so I will find motivation to continue! Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 1: Out of the Ordinary**

"Tohru, you look really pale."

Momiji and Tohru sat together in a park on a very nice autumn day. Originally the two were supposed to see a movie but the tickets were sold out. Momiji insisted that they have lunch in the park and Tohru agreed cheerfully.

"Tohru, is being a second year getting to you? Cause I know it's hard but is it really that bad?" Momiji rambled on.

Tohru Honda did look rather pale on this day, but she was looking pale now on most days. No, school was definitely not the reason. Yuki would surely help her with homework and studying. It was something else, something she didn't want anyone to know.

"No Momiji-kun. I'm okay with school. I'm just tired!" She smiled.

Momiji always believed Tohru when she smiled, but not today. Her smile lacked the genuineness of her normal happy smiles. But deciding not to push things any further he dropped the subject and moved on.

"Hey, Tohru! Do you wanna play volleyball with me? Kyo and Yuki can come too!" Momiji happily invited her. "Even Haru will come if I ask him!"

Tohru smiled her happy smile again. "Sure Momiji-kun! But uh, that is…where would we play?"

"In the park, silly!" Momiji leapt up from his seat across from her and pointed to a nearby court. "Right there! We would have to be careful since its cement, but it should be fun!" He hopped up and down smiling.

Tohru smiled once again and nodded. "Yes, it will be fun!"

The two continued to ramble on about volleyball and school as they set off for home. Tohru's heart was definitely not into anything though; lately she had been feeling very depressed and upset. Though she would never show her real feelings, the Sohmas in Shigure's house were beginning to notice her lack of cheerfulness.

As it is currently their second year, Yuki and Kyo had been as piled up with homework as Tohru and neither had been presented with a moment to speak with her alone. Yuki had voiced his concern at dinner one night as Tohru was not present. Shigure had agreed and promised to speak with her when opportunity presented itself. It had been three weeks since then, and none of the three had come across an opportunity.

It had all began when the group had gathered after school to study together for tests. Kyo, Tohru, Yuki, Momiji, Haru, Uo, and Hana had all met at Shigure's house. As usual Uo poked at Kyo as much as she could and Kyo in return yelled as much as possible. But when Momiji had cheerfully suggested ice cream for the group to Tohru, her only response had been "No, Momiji, I don't feel like eating anything. I'd rather study."

As anyone would know, this was not a normal response for Tohru. Lacking in her usual complete politeness and respect, Tohru had simply continued to read out of her text book. Uo and Hana exchanged glances and had decided to corner her.

That was four weeks ago, and the opportunity had yet to come.

Tohru had grown a habit of being with two or more people at the same time, and dodging opportunities for serious conversation by burying her head in text books and chores around the home.

* * *

After Momiji had seen Tohru make it safely home, she had begun to instantly prepare dinner without speaking or announcing to anyone that she was home. Yuki entered the kitchen after she had been cooking for an hour. Tohru kept her eyes lowered over the boiling pot of rice, stirring it slowly and not realizing she had company.

Yuki took a deep breath then stepped behind Tohru slowly.

"Honda-san…" He tapped her shoulder lightly.

"Huh!?" Tohru turned around quickly in surprise. Seeing that it was Yuki she calmed down and smiled. "Oh! Yuki-kun, I didn't notice you come in."

"I just came to see what's for dinner." Yuki looked at the stove, not registering any of the contents but searching for a way to try to talk to her.

"Dinner will be done soon. You should get anything done that you need too!" Tohru suggested with a smile, with a slight hint of 'please leave.'

Yuki was surprised at these words. She was basically telling him to get out of the kitchen. This was definitely something Tohru would never normally say.

"Honda-san, what is bothering you?" Yuki asked outright.

Tohru's eyes widened as she looked away from the stove. Yuki watched as she stopped stirring and her expression changed to one of absolute fear. The same expression of fear that had not shown itself again since the night she had seen Kyo's true form.

"I….I… there's…." Tohru began to say.

"Yes?" Yuki urged her to go on.

Tohru cupped her hand to her mouth. If she kept talking, she would surely say something she would regret.

"It's…nothing. I'm fine." She whispered.

Yuki couldn't believe it, she was completely denying any problem. Attempting to push further, he began "Honda-san, you seem so sad. Please, if there's anything-"

"I _said…" _Tohru began a bit aggressively, but caught herself and simply smiled up at him. "I'm perfectly fine Yuki-kun! Don't worry about me, okay?"

She looked away and continued stirring the pot.

* * *

Dinner was no different. Shigure attempted to ask Tohru how school was going, but she had brushed it off as "Busy". When Kyo attempted to ask if she wanted to join him in a dinner with Shishou, Tohru had shook her head and politely refused. "No thank you, please do apologize for me! I have lots of homework and studying to do!" Yuki had made another cautious attempt by asking if she had been spending any pleasant friend time with Hana and Uo. Tohru only shook her head and said "No, unfortunately. I've been so caught up with work and school, I've had hardly any time for my good friends."

After Tohru had dodged all of their attempts, Kyo decided to try to get at her alone after dinner.

After cleaning up the kitchen silently alongside Yuki, Tohru headed for her bedroom. But the moment she had made her way for the staircase, she was unexpectedly cornered by a concerned Kyo.

"Where are you going?" He asked, physically blocking her way up the stairs.

"I'm uh… going to study." Tohru replied looking away from him and at the wall.

At her words, Kyo folded his arms across his chest and raised his voice. "What the hell's wrong with you? You're acting really different."

Without wish to continue any conversation Tohru tried to move around him, but he just placed him self in front of her again.

"Excuse me, Kyo-kun…" Tohru asked politely, looking at the floor.

"No, not until you tell me what's wrong." Kyo stubbornly placed one hand on the stair rail and one on the wall. He looked at her up and down. She had on a plain skirt and sweater, and her normally tied, braided, or done up hair lay flat and dull.

"Please, Kyo-kun…." Tohru trailed off, not wanting to make him angry.

"You don't even…. Tie your hair nice anymore…"

At this Tohru finally looked up at him on the verge of tears. Kyo felt a pang of guilt. He had not meant to make her cry, and he just wanted to help her.

"I'm sorry… if you really-"

Without warning Tohru lunged forward with her arms stretched out. Kyo's first reaction was to catch her, but before he could, she had wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and buried her face in his chest.

He instantly blushed and felt a strange swooshing sensation in the pit of his stomach. But before he could realize he was enjoying this embrace, POOF! He transformed into a cat.

"Wha-what did you do that for?" He yelled from her grasp, blushing like crazy.

"I'm sorry." Was all she said as she gently placed him on the floor and dashed up the stairs.

Kyo sat in shock on the stair as he heard her door slam shut. _What in the world is she hiding….?_ He couldn't help but ask himself.

As the slam echoed in the house Yuki walked into the entrance room and seen Kyo in his cat form still sitting on the stair and looking up.

"What happened?" Yuki asked as he cautiously stepped over Kyo's clothing. "Where's Honda-san?"

"Upstairs." Kyo jumped to the bottom floor and began to stretch, trying to rid himself of the strange feeling that was coming over him. "She's still acting weird."

"Why in the world did you two embrace?" Yuki asked confused. "Did you do something inappropriate towards her?"

"No way! _She_ hugged _me_!" Kyo screamed at Yuki in defense, even though he was only two feet away.

"Whatever you say, stupid Cat-san." Yuki left the room.

POOF! Kyo transformed back into himself and dressed. Still confused he decided not to ask her about it just yet. Maybe in a couple of hours she would calm down and hopefully be ready for some serious conversation.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay so I posted a different story before and it was really lame and stupid. But this one I kind of came up with out of nowhere and decided, eh what the hell? **Any way, **what is it that Tohru is hiding? Seems pretty serious if she's actually dropping her manners and becoming a slight bit aggressive. Next chap up soon!! Constructive criticism welcome!


	2. No Real Change

**A/N: **Thank you for reviewing my story! Here's the second chapter. I know it's confusing but that's the point. Will you find out the secret in this chapter? Read and find out!

* * *

**Chapter 2: No Real Change**

_Hi young one…._

Turning and tossing, groaning and kicking, sweating and restless.

_Come here, I need your help…_

_The man grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him._

"_No!" She screamed. "Please, leave me alone!"_

_Come here pretty girl…._

_She pulled away and fell against a tree, scratching her back on the sharp bark. _

_Oh no…you've fallen…._

"No…"

_The man stepped over her and kneeled to her level. _

"_Tohru…. Wake up."_

"_No! Get away!" She screamed. "I don't wanna hurt you!"_

_But you must…._

"…_wake up, Tohru, we're hungry…"_

_She looked up in confusion. "Hungry?"_

"Tohru! Wake up!"

Tohru's eyes fluttered open and the morning sunlight caused her to squint. She blinked a few times and then looked to her bedside. There was Kyo, sweaty and freshly back from his morning run.

"What are you… doing in here…? Kyo-kun?" Tohru mumbled through her drowsiness.

"I'm waiting for breakfast. Did you go to bed late? It's already eight twenty." Kyo said glancing at her bedside table where bright red digits flashed the numbers.

Tohru now sat up. "Eight?! I have to make breakfast! I can't believe I slept in so late!!" She leapt out of bed so quick that she tripped over Kyo's foot and fell face flat on the floor.

"Tohru! Are you okay?!" Kyo yelled in surprise.

"Ow…" Tohru mumbled as she sat up.

"Are you alright? Sorry, you got up so fast!" Kyo said as he kneeled down to see if she was in one piece. "I didn't mean to trip you!"

"I'm okay… my forehead just hurts." Tohru said wincing in pain.

"Let me see if it's anything serious…" Kyo said examining her head.

"I don't think so. The pain is slowly fading." Tohru said, patiently waiting for Kyo to find nothing and be satisfied.

"Are you sure? You fell pretty hard."

"Yes, I'm…..sure…" She trailed off, realizing how close they were.

Kyo softly ran a forefinger across her head, searching for any trace of a lump. Tohru said nothing, but stared up at him with wide eyes and small pink patches on her cheeks. The silence caused Kyo to blush as he looked closer at a small red mark.

He cleared his throat. "Here's a…mark."

"I don't feel it." Tohru said in a whisper. She looked in to his eyes and seen his cheeks turn completely red. "Kyo-kun…"

She gently grabbed his hand and clasped it in her own sweaty palm. Her heart pounded as he slowly raised his other hand to her cheek….

_GRROWWLLL. _

Kyo's stomach protested against the situation in hunger.

Tohru smiled then laughed. "I think someone's hungry!"

The two got to their feet and Kyo patted her head.

"Come on, let's go eat." He said suddenly in a grouchy mood.

Tohru pushed all thoughts of her dream away from her mind and tried her best to enjoy breakfast with the Sohmas.

* * *

"Yo, Tohru!"

Monday morning found Tohru at school with her friends and of course the Sohmas. The night before she had not dreamt of anything and had a good nights rest. Though she was still pale, she was beginning to smile a little more, much to the relief all of her buddies.

"Uo-Chan! Hana-chan! Good morning!" Tohru greeted the two with a smile, followed by the smug looking Kyo and Yuki.

Hana placed her hand on Tohru's shoulder in an approving way. "I'm happy to see you smiling again. Is everything alright?"

Tohru smiled and nodded. "Yes Hana-chan! I feel great!"

And she did. For she had told herself to not grieve on anything that could not be helped…. Even if she was reminded of it in her dreams….

"Honda-san, I am headed to the student council room." Yuki told Tohru. "I will see you after school. Be safe."

"Yes Yuki-kun. You too, be safe and try your best!"

Yuki smiled to himself as he walked away from the group, where Uo had began to tease Kyo and they had started yelling. Tohru seemed to be feeling better. Not completely better, but smiling and laughing is always a start.

_So_, _why is she still pale?_

_RIIINNNGGGG! _

The students piled into their classrooms while some made trips to the restroom. Tohru had completely neglected her bodies urge to dispose of its waste and therefore ran as quickly as she could to the flapping doors.

As quickly as she had run, she had failed to notice a long black limousine parked on the side of the school near the restroom she was now using. A back window rolled down and a woman with short black hair and large dark brown eyes glared at the restroom door.

"Is that her, Vanessa?"

A man seated next to the woman named Vanessa spoke with a low voice. His features consisted of mostly the same as the woman's. They were both short with large muscles on their arms and calves. Their faces were full-out Latin, and they both wore pitch black coats over pitch black suits and black dress shoes. In a way one would say they looked sophisticated. The man had only one difference from the woman; his eyes were a striking, bright and glowing green.

"Yes, Angelo. That is her." Vanessa spoke, her voice a feminine form of his.

She looked at a picture on a clipboard that lay in her lap. A picture of a smiling Tohru, with her hair in braids and a bright baby blue t shirt.

"She seems like that happy type. She may accept surprise gifts, don't you think?" She leaned over and pulled an envelope from the floor.

"Driver, I would like your assistance."

Tohru pushed open the door and stepped outside. The empty hall way caused her to panic. "I'm late!"

She set off at a jog, but stopped when she noticed a bright pink envelope taped to her locker. Her name in big black and bold letters across it.

Tohru walked over to her locker and pulled the envelope off. She turned it over and seen no sender or deliverer. She looked around the hall before carefully opening the seal.

A six by six inch black and white picture fell out of a "get well soon" card. There was no signature so Tohru picked the picture up off the dirty school floor.

Tohru gasped as she recognized the person in the picture. It was a man…. _The man…_

_Come here pretty girl…_

Tohru shook her head, and with wide horrified eyes she ran over to a nearby garbage can, tore the picture into a million little pieces, and threw every piece in, followed by the bright pink envelope.

* * *

"She's worse than before."

Yuki, Uo, and Hana all sat together around the living room table of Shigure's home. The three had decided to discuss Tohru's drastic change in mood as of Monday after school. Tohru had been given the chore of buying milk, eggs, and fish by Shigure, and so the three were left with the assurance that she would not be back for about thirty minutes.

"She seemed okay on Monday. But now…" Uo began and trailed off. "Did you see how scared she was after school? She looked like she seen a ghost or something."

Hana nodded in agreement. "It really is quite alarming. What shall we do, Prince? Have you had any luck in speaking with her?" Hana asked a worried Yuki.

Yuki shook his head. "No, anytime one of us approaches her, she seems to remember something she needs to do and walks away as fast as she can."

"There's something seriously wrong here." Uo said, leaning against the couch and screwing up her face in deep thought.

Hana shifted on the floor to make herself more comfortable. "Arisa, remember yesterday in class? When Tohru fell asleep then woke up and said something strange?"

"Oh yeah, that! She said something really weird." Uo sat up ready to discuss the event.

"What did she say?" Yuki asked, hoping maybe something would help decode Tohru's behavior.

"Well, she was sleeping and we didn't wake her up." Uo started. "She's been tired, so ya know? We let her sleep."

"She started mumbling a little loud." Hana picked up. "So I shook her awake and she said '_Not the blood! The rock…' _It was very strange."

Yuki scrunched his forehead in thought "_The rock..? _What is that supposed to mean?"

"Dunno. But after she woke up she looked like she was going to cry." Uo said rubbing the back of her neck. "We tried to ask her what she was dreaming, but she looked at us with those big scared eyes and ran off. Right, Hanajima?"

"Yes. It was very sad." Hana said with a sigh.

"Yoo hoo! Are you kids plotting against Tohru-kun?" Shigure walked into the room with a medium sized cardboard box with a postal stamp.

"Hey, Writer, how long does she normally take to buy groceries?" Uo asked Shigure as he placed the box on the table.

"Oh not long." Shigure said fanning himself. "Oh, there she is now. Coming up the steps."

"Crap!" Uo and Hana leapt up simultaneously and ran for the back entrance, leaving the door wide open.

Shigure looked to Yuki for an explanation as the front entrance door slid open and in stepped a very tired looking Tohru.

"_Don't _say anything." Yuki whispered as he walked past Shigure to help Tohru with the groceries.

"Hello Yuki-kun. Oh, thank you." Tohru said dully as Yuki grabbed a bag as to lighten the load.

"Was your trip safe, Honda-san?" He tried to prod. Maybe she would let something slip….?

"I was safe, Yuki-kun. It's not _too_ dangerous around here." She replied, practically dragging her feet into the kitchen to put away the groceries.

"Tohru-kun!" Shigure happily walked into the kitchen with the package. "This came for you in the mail!"

Tohru took the package sadly. "Thank you, Shigure-san." She walked out of the kitchen slowly and could be heard walking up the stairs with heavy steps.

The front entrance slid open once again and in came an annoyed looking Kyo.

"Welcome home, Kyo-kun. How was the dojo?" Shigure asked in mock-Tohru enthusiasm. Kyo failed to catch on.

"It sucked, Kagura was there…" Kyo trailed off angrily.

"She's really bad today, stupid Cat-san." Yuki said, folding his arms defensively. "Maybe you should go see how she's doing." He said in what would have been a suggestion but came out sounding more like a demand.

"Shut up! I will! Where is she?"

Tohru stared at the package. She had set it on her bed and examined it for a sender. Like the envelope there was none. She began to pace back and forth in fear. _What if I open it, and there's another… reminder? _She thought.

Kyo quietly walked to her door and raised his fist to knock. But thinking differently, he kneeled to be eye level with her keyhole, prayed he didn't catch her changing her clothes, and looked in.

Tohru was still pacing. He sat confused, waiting to see if she opened the package Shigure had informed him that she had received from an anonymous sender. He watched as she took a pair of scissors from her dresser and slowly cut open the tape. Kyo noticed the look of fear that never left her face.

She pulled open the flaps and rummaged through some plastic that covered up whatever was in the box. Then as she discovered the contents, she gasped and quickly backed away from the bed. Kyo was now dying to know what was in the box.

Tohru looked around and quickly shoved all of the plastic over the object and closed the flaps. Looking around she grabbed the box then shoved it in her closet behind some clothes. Kyo watched her do all of this in shock. _What could possibly be so bad? I have to find out what's in there._

Deciding to wait until she left for work, Kyo walked away with the plan to invade her closet later on that night.

* * *

**A/N: **Oh no! What's in the box? And who's that guy in the picture Tohru tore up? And who the heck are Angelo and Vanessa? Why would they want to harass Tohru like that? Thank you again for reading my story!


	3. Something To Tell

**A/N: **Thank you again to anyone reading and reviewing!

**To clear one of the things that was pointed out in a review! **I don't know if Kyo ever calls Tohru by her first name before V. 6, but in their big hug moment he does. After that he calls her "Tohru" a few times. In v. 8 he does when he punches Haru in her defense, and again when she runs into the wall at the haunted house. In v. 9 he calls her "Tohru" on the way to Shishous. As far as v. 11 and up he uses her name more frequently. My story is based on v. 11 and up. Hope that makes sense! Keep reading and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Something to Tell…**

"Going to work?"

Tohru stood in the hallway outside of her bedroom door in her work uniform. Kyo had been waiting for her to leave for a few hours so he could look in the box she had hidden in her closet.

"Yes. I have to go." Tohru said very quietly. She turned away and shut her door, shoving something in her pocket. She turned to Kyo and nodded. "Good bye, Kyo-kun."

She walked away and disappeared down the stairs. Kyo decided to go in his room and wait at least ten minutes, to ensure that she didn't come back to get something she may have forgotten.

Tohru walked along the streets alone, hardly looking up at any passing people or enjoying the cool breeze that blew through her flat, dull brown hair. The bags under her eyes made her look less like the normal Tohru everyone knew. For the past three nights she kept having the dream she had the night before Kyo had woken her up. Every morning she woke up drenched in sweat and in serious need of a very cool shower. The dream had become more detailed and longer, and Tohru was beginning to lose all interest in her life. She didn't care about school, her clothes, her hair, her job, her friends, the Sohmas, or her chores around the home. She still attended to all of her responsibilities, but with no enthusiasm or smiles the way everyone around her was used to.

As she walked up the path leading to the entrance of the building, Tohru noticed Hiro and Kisa sitting at a nearby dinner bar. She wanted to run to Kisa and hug her, but her body protested and kept walking into the building.

"Tohru, I'm here to help you!" Momiji ran to Tohru the moment she walked in the door and hopped up and down with joy. Seeing her indifferent expression Momiji stopped immediately and looked at her in concern. "Tohru, what's wrong?"

Not wanting to be interrogated by anyone, Tohru mustered her most happy smile and said "Nothing Momiji. Let's get started!"

Momiji didn't believe her, just like the day they had lunch together and she did not talk about anything. But like before, he didn't want to push her to talk about anything that she wasn't ready to discuss, and so smiled too.

"Let's work! Go, work, go!"

* * *

Kyo stood in front of her door, wanting desperately to go in but not sure if his conscious could handle it. He was already feeling the guilt. If he went in her closet and looked in the box, what would he find? What if she caught him? What if she didn't? What if he found something so secret or so devastating that he could never look at her the same? Could he handle that? All these questions kept him glued to the spot.

"What are you doing?"

Kyo turned around quickly to find Yuki watching him with a look of disgust.

"None of your business!" Kyo said defensively. "Don't you have something to do? Stupid Rat." He folded his arms in the most immature way.

Yuki really didn't care to fight. He was more concerned in finding out what was in the package. Thinking Tohru would tell Kyo, he had come in search of him, waiting until Tohru left so that she would not suspect anything.

"So, did she tell you what's in the box?" Yuki asked, stepping over and trying the knob.

The door was locked, much to their shock. They looked at each other with the same expression of confusion.

"Does she normally lock her door?" Yuki asked Kyo, assuming he might know.

"How should I know? I never go in her room when she's not in there." Kyo tried the knob also.

"But you were just going to, were you not?" Yuki challenged him, seeing if the stupid Cat was naïve enough to start an argument while they were basically trying to break into her room.

"Only to look in the box." Kyo replied in a calm way as he examined the lock. "Do you think we can pick it, and then lock it again so she wouldn't know?"

Yuki was surprised at how eager Kyo was to find out. He considered Kyo's idea. If they could lock it again she may never know.

"Hold on, there's a pin in the bathroom that Tohru uses. I've seen it in there before." Kyo walked into the bathroom that was directly across from Tohru's room.

Yuki kept trying the knob. He kneeled down and peeked into the key hole. Everything looked completely normal. They would have to be careful to not knock anything out of place.

Kyo returned and began to pick at the lock.

"Do you even know how to do that?" Yuki asked, wondering if Kyo would accidentally break it.

"Of course! It's not that hard! Any moron could pull it off." He said angrily.

"So are you implying that you are a moron?" Yuki couldn't help himself. Kyo had left the door wide open on that remark.

Kyo turned around and gave Yuki his best serious look. "No."

A click sounded from the lock and Kyo turned the knob and opened the door.

* * *

Tohru walked outside to the back of the building carrying arm loads of trash bags. The same black limousine Tohru failed to notice at school was parked in the back of the building.

Vanessa watched as Tohru threw the bags in the dumpster one by one. Her face was blank and expressionless as she heaved a last heavy bag into the dumpster and closed it shut.

Vanessa smiled as Tohru wiped a tear from her eye and took a deep breath.

"She's crying, Angelo. I don't think she likes our gifts."

Angelo looked at Tohru now too. He held in his hand another envelope addressed to her that was sealed shut and a bit thicker than a card.

"I would like to be sure that she gets this too. " Angelo fanned himself with the envelope and grinned in an evil way.

"Driver, would you mind pulling up to the front of the building? I have to make a personal delivery." Angelo waved the envelope in the air.

* * *

Yuki and Kyo cautiously stepped in her bedroom, scared of moving something that would signal an obvious intrusion.

"This isn't right." Yuki stated at once. "We shouldn't go through her things."

Kyo ignored him and headed straight for the closet. He turned the knob and found that it was also locked.

"Damn." He reached in his pocket where he had safely stored the pin.

"Do you not understand the language? We shouldn't do this!" Yuki said more stern. "How would you like someone going through your things? Especially someone you trust?"

"It's just the damn box! Kyo yelled angrily. "Why don't you go pick her up from work and on your way to the front door, yell or something so that I'll hear you guys coming."

"No. I will not participate in this dishonest and juvenile activity." Yuki had changed his mind with his guilty conscious nagging at him. He would definitely never appreciate Tohru going through his private things, so why would he do this to her?

Kyo groaned in irritation. "I know this is wrong." He began, still picking at the lock. "But there is something going on with her, and I don't want her to end up slipping into the same depression that consumes us Sohmas."

Yuki was listening, wondering how in the world the stupid Cat could possibly be making any sense.

Kyo continued. "She's helped us all so much, the least we could do is try to find out how to help her, even if it means doing so with a little dishonesty."

Yuki nodded subconsciously. As much as he hated to admit it, the stupid Cat was right. It would not be fair to sit and watch Tohru waste away in her silent misery, when the answer could be as close as picking a couple of locks. And if she never found out, then what's the big deal?

Yuki looked at his watch. It was almost time to pick Tohru up anyway.

"I'll go pick her up. I'll do something to signal we're here… you'll hear us coming." Yuki said quickly before turning and walking briskly out of the room.

Kyo continued to pick at the lock. _Just a little more…_

* * *

The night was cool and was accompanied by a light breeze. Tohru walked out of the building, even more exhausted than before. She walked past the long black limousine without acknowledging it, until she heard one of the doors slam and a man clear his throat.

She turned around to see a short Latin man, with piercing green eyes that looked very familiar, and bulky muscles. He stood only about five inches taller than she, and wore a black suit.

The man walked toward her. "Tohru Honda?" He asked in a low voice.

Tohru stood her ground, despite the fear that was telling her that this man was no one safe. "Yes, that's me." She answered politely.

The man smirked and walked over to her sticking out his hand. "Hello, I am Angelo."

Tohru wasn't used to hand shakes due to the greeting of bowing in Japan. Regardless she took his hand anyway and was surprised by his firm grip.

"I'm sorry." He said politely and bowed very low. "I keep forgetting I'm in another country."

Tohru immediately bowed in return. "Yes um, sorry! Greetings! Is this your first time in Japan?" She stammered.

"No, I've been here before. But not enough times to remember the rules." Angelo reached into his jacket and pulled out a large yellow envelope.

Starting to suspect something wrong Tohru asked timidly "How do you know my name?"

Angelo smirked. He slowly took his finger and touched her name tag. Tohru stood with wide eyes, afraid of what he would do. He flicked it and she flinched.

"Your name tag, silly girl."

Tohru was now shaking all over. What did this man want with her?

"Senorita Honda, would you happen to remember a camping trip you took about two years ago?" Angelo asked, opening the large yellow envelope.

Tohru's eyes widened. Of course she remembered that trip. It had been a trip that haunted her to this very day. How could anyone possibly know about it?

"Y-yes, I do." Tohru stuttered, now considering running to where Yuki would meet her.

"That's great. Perhaps you can take this then." Angelo pulled a bright pink envelope out of the yellow one and handed it to her.

Tohru took a step back. It looked exactly like the envelope she had received before.

"Is something wrong?" Angelo mocked gesturing for her to take it.

"N-no, not at all!" Tohru lied and smiled weakly. She took the envelope. "I have to go, I really should go." Tohru made to walk away but was stopped.

"Wait Senorita. I must greet you with my traditional way." Angelo said.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned down toward her cheek. She stayed rooted in fear as he kissed both of her cheeks.

Before letting her go, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly, then whispered in her ear…

"_He _was my _brother_…."

Tohru pulled away and set off at a run. The bright green eyes she recognized, _he _had them too. How could she not have realized?

Yuki stood waiting on the corner of a grocery market where he usually met Tohru. She was running late and he was beginning to worry. He started to walk away when he heard the sound of pounding feet, running behind him. He turned around just as Tohru lunged at him and hugged him in fear.

"Honda-san-"

POOF!

"I'm sorry Yuki-kun! Did anyone see?! Oh no! What if someone saw?" Tohru began to panic as she looked around frantically.

"Don't worry Honda-san, no one saw." Yuki had looked around as she embraced him and seen that all was clear.

Tohru kneeled down and scooped up his clothes. They set off together walking.

Yuki could see, even though he was only about seven inches tall, that Tohru looked very frightened. He took this as the explanation as to why she had hugged him without proper warning.

They walked in silence for about ten minutes, until Yuki had transformed back into himself and caused Tohru to turn around. After dressing and continuing to walk, Yuki decided he would try to talk to her.

"Honda-san, did something happen at work?"

Tohru looked away at the trees that surrounded their home. They were close now, and Yuki would have to create some sort of distraction.

* * *

"Damn lock!" Kyo yelled as the lock finally clicked and allowed him entrance. "Yes." He said tearing open the door and halting at the pile of clothes that lay before him.

There were shirts, skirts, sweaters, tank tops, bras, underwear, undershirts, and even her P.E. clothes scattered all over the floor.

"No way…" Kyo said, not wanting to go through her…private clothing. _Come on wimp, she's hiding something very important! Just suck it up and tear through it! _He told himself.

He took a deep breath, exhaled, and began to look through the clothes.

"Honda-san, wait!"

Kyo froze as Yuki's voice carried through the walls of the house. He hurried and moved around a few more shirts _Just a little more…_

The heavy steps of Tohru running up the stairs caused Kyo to panic. He ran and locked her door, then hid in her closet and shut it, locking it with the pin from the inside.

_Crap! She's going to find me in here!_

Kyo held his breath as she quickly unlocked the door and shut it in Yuki's face.

"I'm sorry Yuki-kun! I can't talk right now!" She yelled through the door.

Kyo watched as she took off her work jacket and made to change her shirt.

Kyo's eyes widened as she took off her shirt in tears. _Don't look pervert! _He argued with himself. _She's in tears and you're looking at her…_

Tohru made her way for the closet and Kyo backed away. He held his breath as she tried to open the door, she pulled at the knob frustrated, shirtless, and in only her bra.

"Key.." She said as she walked away and searched through her jacket. "Where is it…?" She shivered and walked over to the side of her bed and grabbed a t shirt and pulled it on.

Kyo took his chance and began to shuffle through the rest of the clothes to the bottom. If he was going to get caught, he may as well find out her secret and make it all worthwhile. He reached the very corner where he had seen her place it.

The box wasn't there.

The sound of paper tearing caused Kyo to peek through the closet shades again and discover Tohru tearing open an envelope. He watched as she stared wide eyed at two pieces of paper she had pulled out.

Tohru sobbed and tossed them onto her bed. She buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

Kyo had the urge to burst out of the closet and hug her. He had grown used to her crying, but this was different. These were not the silly foolish tears that she usually cried, these were tears of pain. Tears that she had to cry alone, in fear that someone would discover her secret.

"Tohru-kun! May I speak with you?"

The sound of Shigure's cheerful voice summoning Tohru was relief to Kyo. He watched as Tohru dried her tears and sighed.

"Coming!" She replied in a fake content voice, pulling a key out of her pocket.

As soon as she left the room Kyo heard the lock click. He quickly left her closet and locked it, being sure to leave the mess of clothing as close as possible to what it had been before he had rummaged though it. He made his way for the door but noticed the papers Tohru had been crying about. He knew he should not look, but curiosity got the better of him as he picked them up.

The first was an old wrinkled brochure of a nearby camping area. Kyo seen it was about two years old from the date and that it had been used and scribbled on by two different hand writings. He recognized one of them as Tohru's' neat scrawl and wondered if she ever mentioned a camping trip to him before. The second piece of paper was an old newspaper clipping about the mysterious disappearance of some man.

Setting the two papers down the way they had been before he looked at them, Kyo carefully exited her room, locking it and wondering what in the world could be so sad about a camping trip.

* * *

Tohru paced in her room. She now had the box out on her bed, which she had hidden on a shelf up in her closet. She knew that if she kept her secret to herself any longer, she would surely drive herself into an early grave.

_I have to tell someone. Someone I can trust. _

Tohru shook her head. No, she couldn't tell anyone. Surely anyone would judge her for the terrible thing she had done.

_But if I explained myself…_

She tried to convince herself. No, there was no excuse for what happened. What she had done was unforgivable, and she would surely see the depths of hell for it…

_But still, I have to tell someone… _

Tohru straightened up. She knew exactly who she could tell, only one person who would most likely listen to her. Tohru opened her door and left her room

* * *

"You're very lucky she didn't catch you in there."

Kyo had been informed after his escape from Tohru's room that Shigure had called her down because Yuki discovered Kyo was not in his room., therefore giving him the chance to escape. They all now sat in the kitchen, debating on what actions to take.

"I would have gotten out somehow." Kyo said, not wanting to thank that damn Dog for anything, even if it was true.

"You should be thankful stupid Cat. Who knows what she would have thought." Yuki waited and seen Kyo's expression change, then continued. "Depending on whatever it was you witnessed her do alone." Yuki grinned, knowing the yelling would shortly follow.

"I didn't see anything! And that stupid box wasn't even there!" Kyo yelled, despite Yuki's physical protests waving his arms to silent him.

"Shut up, stupid Cat. She could have heard you." Yuki whispered frantically.

Kyo silently fumed, angry at himself for breaking into her room in the first place. What did he find out anyway? Just that a past camping trip had caused her to burst in to tears. How can anyone really decode something like that? And the guy? Was he of any importance? Maybe he was her father? Kyo had never seen a picture of him before. But then again, he could have sworn she said her father died when she was very young.

"Perhaps we need to all head up there." Shigure suggested. Yuki and Kyo both looked at him in confusion.

"How would three of us help?" Yuki demanded.

"If there are more of us, then she can't possibly make up any excuses. She would have to start talking." Shigure explained. "Besides, her depressing behavior is starting to bother me very much."

"Kyo-kun..?"

The three of them turned and seen the fragile form of Tohru standing in the door way. She looked directly at Kyo with an expression that screamed for help.

"Yeah?" Kyo asked awkwardly. He didn't want to look her in the eye after sneaking in her room. If he did, he might just spill and admit he seen her shirtless.

"Kyo-kun, may I speak with you?" Tohru asked out right. She lifted her head up and her expression changed to a very serious stare.

"Sure, what do you want to talk ab-"

"Alone. Kyo-kun, please?"

Kyo looked from Shigure to Yuki. They both nodded and he followed her up the stairs. He waited for her to head toward her room but watched as she headed towards his instead.

"In my room?" He questioned.

"Yes, please. I don't want to be in mine." She said quietly as she stared off at the floor.

Kyo's curiosity grew and grew as he opened the door and lead her in. She watched him, expecting him to close it. When he didn't catch on she took it upon herself to shut the door and lock the bolt that Kyo had built in for when Kagura spent the night.

His palms began to sweat with the thought of the situation. Here they were, alone in his room together, with the door locked.

Kyo shook his head and the thoughts left. He watched her stand next to the door without moving, then motioned for her to sit on his bed. She shook her head.

"So, what's up?" He asked when she continued to stay silent.

The same tears he had seen earlier when he was in her closet began to drip down her cheeks. The overbearing feeling to hold her came over him again, but he chose to voice his concern.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He asked, taking a step toward her.

"Kyo-kun…" She now stood in front of him. "I've done something terrible."

He waited patiently for her to continue. She took a breath and tried to calm her tears.

"I've done something unforgivable. I can't tell anyone! But I can't keep it in any longer. So, please…" She fell to her knees in front of him. She shook as she continued to cry.

"You can tell me." Kyo kneeled down and lifted her chin with his hand. Her eyes were swollen from crying and the bags under them made her look like a ghost. He studied her face before saying " You can tell me anything."

Tohru believed him. She was scared that what she was about to tell him would make him run from her forever. She feared losing him over her secret.

"Come on, Tohru." He tried to lighten the mood. "What could _you _do that would be so terrible? Forget to do the laundry?"

"No… heaven forbid…" She choked out. "Kyo-kun, this is horrible. If I tell you, then I might…. Drag you into it…" She said the last part in disbelief.

Kyo watched her struggle with herself and tried to convince her still. "I don't care what you drag me into, look at the mess we've dragged you into."

She continued to cry as she grabbed a handful of the hem of his shirt. "I can't…"

He was starting to get scared. What could be so horrible…?

"I…..I…" she began.

He placed one hand on hers as comforting as possible.

"Uh huh…?" He urged her on.

Tohru swallowed hard and closed her eyes tight. She opened them and looked around. Deciding she had no choice but to spill, she looked at him. It was now or never.

"What is it?" He asked, afraid of what she might say.

She opened her mouth….

"I killed someone."

* * *

**A/N: **Whoa! Is she serious? What does she mean? Could it be true? Would she really be that cruel? Keep reading to find out!


	4. Guilty Or Not Guilty

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket! Just the plot of my story! I neglected to write one in the first 3 chapters so here it is!**

**_A/N:_ **Hey everyone, here's chapter four of my Furuba story. Hope you guys liked the end of the last chapter, I kinda shocked myself (haha). Anyway, here it is!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Guilty or Not Guilty**

"_Mom, I'm having so much fun! " Tohru cheerfully informed her mother. _

_Kyoko turned her smiling face away from the tent flap. "I'm glad Tohru. I have an idea! Let's break watermelons! I brought a few!!" Kyoko made for the vehicle. _

_Tohru smiled. "Okay Mom! But I wanted to go look for some of these rocks that I seen yesterday." Tohru began to walk away. _

"_Okay Tohru. Be safe!" Kyoko waved happily. "And be sure not to fall anywhere, and if you do yell as loud as you can for me, okay?" _

"_I will!" Tohru walked to the spot she remembered seeing the rocks the day before._

* * *

Kyo opened his eyes and blinked several times. He was lying on his bed sprawled out on his back at a strange angle. He raised his head and blinked several times until his vision cleared up. Looking at the clock he seen it was eight forty five in the morning, and any thought of attending school was completely out of the question. He tried to move his hand to rub his eyes, but found it was in someone else's grasp.

Kyo then realized there was a head on his shoulder and looked to his right. He sat up so quick that he was surprised she didn't stir. Tohru was lying next to him, deeply asleep and looking completely at peace. He looked at their intertwined fingers and the events of the previous night came flooding back into his mind.

"_I killed someone." _

Why, why would she say something like that? He had not believed her for one moment, but knew something devastating must have happened to cause her to be so frightened. She had not given him any explanation to her confession but just continued to cry for several hours. They had sat on the floor until Tohru began to drift off on his shoulder, and he somehow managed to help her up onto his bed. She had woken up and cried a little more, so Kyo had sat with her and tried to soothe her as much as possible as she drifted off to into a deep sleep.

Kyo did not remember actually falling asleep or linking hands with her. He assumed he must have been so tired he just fell asleep next to her without thinking, and that she must have woken in the night and held his hand for comfort, since hugging him was no option.

As carefully as he could, Kyo untangled his hand from hers. Tohru stirred a bit and turned her head over and let out a quiet groan. Kyo held his breath and waited as she grabbed a handful of his pillow then lay motionless.

"Oh wow…" He said grabbing his hair in exhaustion. _If what she said is not true, what else could make her cry so much? _Kyo wondered through his drowsy thoughts.

* * *

"So what happened?"

Ten minutes later Kyo sat in the kitchen being interrogated by Shigure. Apparently, the damn Rat had knocked on Tohru's door and at no answer opened it to find her bed vacant. He then had knocked on Kyo's door but to no answer opened the door to find the two dead asleep next to each other.

_Great. I bet I left the door unlocked when I came from the bathroom after she fell asleep. _Kyo mentally kicked himself. Now everyone in the house knew that they had slept in his bed.

"If you won't tell me anything," Shigure pressed on. "Will you at least tell me if she's okay now?"

Kyo could think of nothing to say except the truth.

"I don't know."

If keeping those words to her self was the reason she had been depressed for the last month, would she be happy from relief now? What if things got worse from here? He decided he would not repeat her words to anyone, because If Tohru had wanted anyone else to know, she would have told someone else.

"Tell me Kyo-Kun, "Shigure began with a grin.

Kyo rubbed his eye. "What?" he asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

"How did you feel waking up _next to _Tohru-Kun?" Shigure smirked mischievously.

Kyo could not stop the blush from rising, and he angrily defended himself. "How the hell should I know? I was too damned tired to feel anything!"

This wasn't true though, since he had felt the swooshing sensation at the sight of her peaceful face. His hand was still all tingly from her touch, and he was secretly wishing he had just gone back to sleep so he could lie next to her a little longer.

Shigure lit a cigarette and took a drag. He blew the smoke over Kyo's head and causing Kyo to angrily knock an ashtray to the floor.

"Yeah, right." Shigure said smugly, before getting up and leaving the kitchen to write more dirty novels.

* * *

The crowded cafeteria irritated Yuki today more than usual. He had no desire to be at school and he was still very worried about Tohru. He had kept asking himself the entire morning….

_What did she tell him? Could she possibly feel any better?_

Zoning off with his lunch in front of him had caught the attention of a spiky, black and white haired individual. Hatsuharu Sohma made his way over to where Yuki sat alone.

"Lonely are we?"

Yuki smiled weakly as Haru sat down. As usual, Yuki could have one negative thought and Haru would come running to lift his spirits.

"How are you today, Haru?" Yuki tried to keep the attention off of him.

Haru placed his elbows on the table and leaned his head on his fist. "I bet I'm doing _much _better than _you_ are today."

Yuki sighed, knowing that Momiji or Shigure might have informed Haru of Tohru's behavior. Even though Haru had only been present a few times to witness her change, he still was concerned.

"Is Honda-san doing any better?"

Yuki looked at his half eaten lunch and suddenly lost his appetite.

"I have no idea. Something happened last night between Honda-san and Kyo." Yuki said, still wishing to know what had happened. "I found them both asleep in his bed."

Haru smirked a little. "When the body calls for the opposite sex, I guess Kyo can't help it either."

Yuki glared at Haru. "That's not funny. I don't think anything like that happened."

Haru laughed a little. "I know, I'm just teasing you. Neither of them are educated enough in that area." Haru added matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me, President?"

Yuki and Haru both turned to see Machi Kuragi bowing with a piece of paper.

"Oh, hello Kuragi-san!" Yuki stood at once and made his way over to her. "How are you today?"

Machi stood up straight. "I'm fine, President." Machi held out the paper to Yuki, but he did not notice.

"Since you're here, why don't you join us for lunch?" Yuki invited her.

Machi shook her head. "No thank you, President. I have only come to give you the schedule for the fundraiser next week."

Yuki took the paper. "Are you sure?"

RIINNNGGG!

"Good bye, President."

Machi turned and walked away.

"She's really shy." Haru said as they both made their way for class.

"I don't understand her really, Kuragi-san. She's always so…" Yuki trailed off.

"Sad?" Haru suggested.

Yuki nodded in agreement. "Yes, more than is normal."

As they reached their parting hallway, Haru turned and pulled at Yuki's shirt.

"Be strong, Yuki. Honda-san may still need you, even if she's already spoken with Kyo."

Yuki watched Haru walk away in confusion. Maybe she would someday need only him…?

* * *

Tohru lie awake in Kyo's bed, trying to gather herself to face him now that she was no longer crying in hysterics. She admitted to herself that there was no way she could have made any sense the previous night, so looked to the next hour to maybe explain her confession.

She remembered his strange look of confusion and terror after she had said those words. But instead of running away like she had expected, he had comforted her and stayed by her all night.

Tohru sat up and stretched. It wasn't her bed, but she had never felt so rested in her life. She wondered if it was because of the comfort of his bed, or because of the comfort of Kyo.

She went into her bathroom and washed, trying to think of a way to bring up what she had said. If she told him the story, maybe he would see how cruel she really was. But if she left him with no continuance, he may be relieved or not want to discuss it.

Tohru left her bathroom and headed straight for Kyo's room. She stood in the doorway and stared at the bed. She began to blush as she thought of herself sleeping next to him. She knew it was very inappropriate, but for the circumstances there must be an exception. It could not have possibly meant any more than a comforting friend.

"Hey, you…"

Tohru turned around and her stomach erupted in butterflies at the sight of Kyo. Fully aware that it was no time to be swooning, she couldn't help herself from turning beet-red.

"Ky-Kyo-kun!" She stuttered, unable to control her shaky voice.

"There's no need to say anything." Kyo stated as Tohru moved out of the way for him to enter his room.

"Y-yes there is a need!" Tohru followed him. "What I said was true, and I failed to elaborate!" Tohru desperately continued.

Kyo cocked an eyebrow at her. There was just no way she meant what she had said.

"Kyo-kun, please listen to me." Tohru closed his door behind her and walked over to him.

"Tohru, I don't believe you." Kyo stated firmly. "You are just incapable of committing such a thing."

Tohru lowered her head. If he wasn't going to listen to her say it was true, then she would have to tell him the story. She sat on his bed and motioned for him to sit next to her.

Kyo sat and waited for her to begin explaining. He watched as she shifted nervously, searching for the right way to begin.

"I don't think I'll believe you even after you explain this to me." Kyo said, almost smirking from how ridiculous it seemed.

Tohru looked at him, then began her story.

"I was looking for rocks…"

* * *

_Tohru happily walked through the thick trees alone. She was now far from the campsite, and closer and closer to the pretty and shiny rocks. _

_She listened to the sound of the animals around and the crunching of leaves underneath her shoes. So happy to be out in the wilderness she looked around. Every tree was very green, and every branch was thick and healthy. _

_She was so happy, she did not notice the crunching of leaves under another's shoes. _

"_Oh!" Tohru reached the spot where she and her mom had stopped to rest the day before on a hike. There was a large pile of different sized shiny rocks right next to a fifteen foot drop that lead to another trail. _

_Tohru kneeled down and began to shift the rocks around. "They're all so pretty!" She said smiling. _

_Crunch…_

_Tohru turned around quickly, hearing a very loud crunch of leaves. _

"_Hello? Mom?" She called out. _

_Something crawling on her hand called her attention back to the rocks. She looked down at a large yellow and black spider crawling on her hand. _

"_AHHH!" She screamed and fell backward on to her bottom. _

"_Little girl…"_

_Tohru turned around so quick she cracked her neck. Standing behind her was a tall Latin man with dirty and ripped up prison clothes and a very long black beard. _

_Tohru stood up immediately. "Wh-who are you?" Tohru stuttered in fear. _

"_I'm not going to hurt you." The man said in a low raspy voice. He looked at her and Tohru noticed how bright his green eyes were. So bright and hypnotizing…._

"_What do you want?" Tohru asked, trying to think of a way to run back to the campsite. _

"_I need help. I need someone who can lead me out of these woods." The man approached her, causing her to back up into a tree. _

_Tohru thought of screaming, but what if he tried to hurt her? _

"_I don't know these woods very well…." She said as he stepped closer to her. _

"_Yes you do, I've been watching you and your mother for the last few days." _

_Tohru's eyes widened. They had been watched? How did they not notice? How could her Mom not notice?_

"_Just be a good, pretty little girl, and come with me!" _

_The man grabbed Tohru by her arm and pulled her toward him. _

"_No! Let me go!" Tohru squirmed as he tightly wrapped his arms around her waist. _

"_Just come with me!" The man yelled through gritted teeth. "And I won't hurt you!"_

_Tohru suddenly remembered a defense move that her mom had shown her and threw her head back into The man's nose. _

"_Ahhh!" The man yelled in pain as he let go of her. _

_She made to run but he quickly grabbed her arm and spun her around. He punched her in the jaw, causing her to fall backwards into a tree. _

_Tohru felt the sharp bark scratch her back as she tried to blink the pain away from her jaw. _

_The man collected himself from the blow to his nose and grabbed Tohru by the scruff, lifting her to her feet. _

"_Are you going to cooperate yet, little girl?" He spat in her face. _

"_Please, let me go." Tohru begged. _

_The man just smirked as she tried to wriggle free. Getting irritated with her persistence he violently threw her to the floor and she landed face first, busting open her lip._

_He stood behind her with his back to the fifteen foot drop. _

"_Are you done, girl?" He bent over to mock her. "Aw, you've fallen and can't get up." _

_Tohru looked up and seen a very thick and short branch lying before her. She placed her hand on the end trying to grab it. _

"_Come now, pretty little girl." The man grabbed the end of her skirt and pulled. "Be good and you 'll be spared!"_

_He grabbed at her leg but she dodged his hand. _

"_No!" she yelled, kicking him the knee as hard as she could. _

"_AH! Damn you little bitch!" The man yelled as he turned around to gather his strength. _

_Tohru took her chance and stood with the branch in her hand. _

"_You better listen to me, little girl." He stepped toward her. "I may just spare your life!" _

_He lunged at her as she pulled her arm back and swung the branch at him with all the strength she could muster. _

_Blood landed on a nearby tree trunk as the branch struck the entire side of his face. _

_Tohru stood breathless and in shock. The place where the branch had made contact was completely skinless and blood was gushing out. _

_The man grabbed his cheek, and then turned to Tohru. He glared at her._

"_AHHH!" He lunged at her again. _

_Tohru swung the branch at him again and this time struck him across the side of his head. Seeing him lose his balance Tohru struck him again._

_And again._

_And again._

_And again. _

_Until she didn't realize he was right on the edge, and struck him a final time in the head. _

_Tohru screamed as she watched him fall backward and out of sight. _

_The thud on the ground below told her he had hit too hard. _

_She dropped to her knees and peered over the edge. There he was, lying sprawled out and very dead. He had fallen on a branch that had gone straight through his body. _

_Tohru watched breathless and in shock as the blood oozed out from beneath him. The color drained from her face as she realized what she had done. _

_Tohru stood up and dropped the bloodied up branch. She turned on her heel and ran as quickly as she could away from the place. _

"_I killed him…I killed him…"_

* * *

"I killed him."

Tohru sat on the floor of Kyo's room, hugging herself and rocking back and forth.

"I left him there and didn't even tell my mom." Tohru was now sobbing. "I just ran to a nearby creek and washed up. I told Mom I fell." Tohru buried her head in her knees.

Kyo sat shocked. She _had_ killed him, but he had tried to hurt her. If she would not have done anything she may not be sitting in front of him today.

_But, she did kill him. She somehow mustered the strength to strike down another human life. _Kyo thought these things and confused himself even more.

A heart sunk as he remembered looking at the newspaper article in her room. The article had said the man was _missing_, not found dead.

"What did you do with the body?" He asked, fearing the answer.

Tohru looked up at him and realized he thought she must have buried, or hid it somewhere.

"Nothing. I left him there."

Kyo was relieved to hear that she at least did not try to bury the body or mutilate it and hide it somewhere.

"That area is so secluded, that I'm sure no one's ever found him." Tohru looked up at the ceiling.

Kyo could see that this sort of pain could never go away, even though her story clearly pointed out that she was innocent. It was self-defense, he would have killed her.

"Kyo-kun, what could you possibly think of me? I murdered someone…" Tohru said in the most hopeless voice Kyo had ever heard.

"Tohru, it was self defense." He stated firmly.

"No, I hit him when I should have ran away."

"No, there's no way you're guilty of murder!" Kyo yelled.

Tohru looked up at him with swollen eyes. "Kyo-kun…"

"I understand that you feel guilty, but you're not responsible!" Kyo stood up, angry that she could possibly think so very low of herself. "You had no choice. Anyone would have done what you did! It's called self-defense, not cold blooded murder! If anyone can't see that then they're ignorant!"

Tohru stood up and faced Kyo. She lowered her head and moved closer to him. He felt his stomach begin to perform summersaults as she placed her forehead on his chest.

"Uh…Tohru…?"

"Thank you, Kyo-kun."

She wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Kyo turned completely red before POOF!

Tohru still held him in his Cat form. She was happy that he had understood, and even helped her to see the sense of it.

"Thank you, Kyo-kun."

* * *

Yuki walked home by himself after school. Haru had offered to join him, but he refused as to keep his dignity. Trying to keep his mind focused on anything other than Tohru, he began to mentally study the notes he had taken in class.

This helped for about fifteen minutes until he walked past the Sohma owned building where Tohru worked. He halted for a moment to stare at the size of the massive building. But something else caught his eye.

A short Latin woman dressed in all black leaned against a long black limousine. Yuki felt an unapproachable vibe from her as she turned to look at him. Her angry and loathing stare sent chills up his spine.

Deciding to try and avoid her, Yuki continued to walk, all the while wondering what such a woman would be doing at the building.

Vanessa watched Yuki walk away in amusement.

Angelo rolled down the window and poked his head out. "Is that the one, Vanessa?"

Vanessa shook her head. "No. That's definitely not him."

Angelo looked at her with a questioning expression. "Surely not the other?"

Vanessa opened the limo door and smirked.

"Oh yes, it is the other one. The taller one with the attitude… and bright orange hair."

* * *

**A/N: **So what did you think? Shocking enough? Even though she's spilled the beans, Tohru still believes she's guilty. What could Vanessa and Angelo want with Kyo? Would they have done something if he had been passing by? Keep reading to find out!

**Next: **What happens when Tohru's approached by Vanessa? If the area was so secluded and far off, how could anyone have found out? Kyo receives a warning and is therefore left with two options…. What will they be?

**Please review on your way out!!**


	5. The Truth?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters. Only my original characters and the plot.

**A/N: **Thank you so very much for reviewing my story! I hope you are all enjoying this, because I am too! I love writing, and writing fan fiction has definitely helped me improve my writing ability. Constructive criticism is welcome! And now on to Chapter five!

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Truth?**

_"I'm sorry…"_

The usually busy streets were very deserted on this Sunday afternoon. Tourists and shoppers usually crowded the markets and souvenir shops on weekends, so Tohru was shocked to see very few people around.

The temple loomed into view as Tohru turned a corner, and the overbearing urge to cry erupted inside of her.

After she had explained herself to Kyo, the rest of Friday was spent resting up and preparing meals for the family. Tohru had felt very guilty for her behavior in the past month and so stood and gave a sincere apology. Yuki and Kyo had protested, saying that they are both glad that she may feel better, but Shigure openly accepted her apology. Kyo had begun to shout at Shigure, until Tohru gently placed her hand on his and asked him to please not shout. Of course, Kyo practically melted from her look and stopped immediately.

On Saturday, Tohru had snuck into the Sohma Estate and managed to find Momiji, Kisa, and Hiro all playing together. She apologized to them as well, though Kisa and Hiro were very confused as to what she was talking about.

Now, here she was, prepared to meet Hana and Uo to apologize for the way she had treated them. For so many reasons Tohru felt she owed them an apology more than anyone else. The two had stood by her during the time of her mother's death, and had helped her keep her head up and her eyes dry.

"What's up, Tohru?"

Hana and Uo walked over to Tohru as she approached the temple. Mentally and emotionally, she was definitely not ready to enter a temple and pray for forgiveness. Because no matter how many times she told herself, or Kyo told her that she was innocent, she still felt that the situation could have turned out differently.

"Uo-chan, Hana-chan, thank you for meeting me here." Tohru bowed respectively.

Uo and Hana exchanged glances.

"So, we going in or what?" Uo asked as she linked arms with Tohru.

"How are you feeling, Tohru-kun?" Hana asked linking arms on Tohru's other side. "We couldn't help but notice you and The Orange Haired not present on Friday."

Tohru sighed. "Yes, I'm sorry for not phoning either of you." Tohru lowered her head. "I do not want to go in, would it be okay if we all just…. walked?"

"Of course Tohru! Whatever you want!" Uo said, pulling the other two away from the temple.

"Now, are you going to inform us," Hana began. "Or are we going to have to interrogate The Orange Haired ourselves?"

Tohru smiled. "No, Hana-chan. I will tell you what happened on Friday."

* * *

"Akito, you shouldn't be angry."

The Sohma Estate was very quiet on this Sunday, and Shigure had decided he would visit his beloved Head of the Family. Akito had been very angry to be informed of the strange closeness between Kyo and Tohru. It had angered her even more than the time Tohru saw Kyo's true form.

Shigure sat next to Akito upon the wood floor. "They are close and you've said yourself, that a _monster _belongs with a _monster._"

Akito had buried her angry face in her large robe sleeves. She lifted her face and glared at Shigure.

"You think…" Akito began in a dangerous tone. "That _sleeping _with each other means two people are close?"

Shigure knew where this was headed, and was not prepared to be screamed at by Akito.

"I never said they _slept _together." Shigure stated cautiously. "I only said they fell asleep next to each other, and the sight was _quite_ adorable."

_CRASH!!_

Akito threw a large pillow that crashed into a vase and broke on the floor. She grabbed Shigure by the scruff and pulled him toward her. Her eyes flashed in fury as she growled in his face.

"How could they possibly be _adorable_? That's so disgusting!"

Shigure just smiled, knowing all too well that Akito would calm down if he would just….

Akito's eyes widened as Shigure pulled her face close to his. As their lips inched closer together Akito's eyes instinctively fluttered closed and she fell into him.

The kiss was short and sweet, and left Akito feeling light headed and fuzzy, completely forgetting her anger toward him.

"I'm only concerned for that _monster _Tohru Honda hurting _my little monster._" Akito said as she sat herself down comfortably in Shigure's lap.

"Oh, I know." Shigure soothed her, stroking her hair. "I only want to _assist _you in making sure Kyo is not stolen from us." Shigure smiled evilly, knowing Akito could not see his face.

"How can we be sure of that?" Akito said depressed. "That stupid woman is the only one that he will speak too."

Shigure smiled as she played into his words.

"I think you're forgetting the one _other _person he trusts most." Shigure hinted. "Maybe even _more _than Tohru-kun."

Akito lifted her head to look into his eyes. She could see where he was going with this.

"You don't think… he'd tell _him_?" Akito asked with emphasis on the last word.

Shigure smiled again. "He would certainly confide in …… Kazuma Sohma-dono."

* * *

"Good day, Kunimitsu."

Shishou's home was being freed of his personal assistant Kunimitsu. On this day Kunimitsu would leave the house early and not return until the following morning.

"Good day to you too, Shishou-san. Please treat Kyo kindly." Kunimitsu stood half way out of the front entrance. "I see he may need to speak with you."

Kyo stood waiting patiently far behind Shishou, looking at him with an expression of hopelessness.

"Aw, I believe you are right, Kunimitsu." Shishou bowed low. "See you tomorrow."

Kyo had not heard any of the conversation, and so waited as Shishou shut the door and walked over to him.

"Yes, Kyo? Is there something that you want to talk about?" Shishou asked.

"N-no!" Kyo turned and sat down at the eating table. "Why would you think that?"

Shishou sighed. "Because, like I've said before, ever since you were little, you've had the habit-"

"Of staring at you from behind when I wanted something. I know!" Kyo finished for him a little more aggressively than he intended.

"Well then, if you know," Shishou sat across the table from Kyo. "What is it?"

Kyo looked at his father figure hopelessly. He could not tell him the whole story; there was no way he was going to break his unspoken promise, even if it was Shishou.

The fact that Tohru still felt guilty had Kyo wondering if she had told him the entire story. It was definitely a possibility that she could have left out a thing or two, but would that mean she is _really _a _murderer_? He had thought that he should just ask her, and hope that she may tell the truth, or at least confirm that she had already told him the whole truth.

"What is it, Kyo?" Shishou asked again.

Kyo knew he needed some kind of advice, and decided to give telling Shishou a try.

"Shishou, someone told me something, something important." Kyo began, shifting his gaze to the floor. "It's something…._frightening."_

Shishou sat listening, ready to help his son with anything he might have done or needed help with.

"I did not exactly promise to not say anything, but I will not repeat those words." Kyo looked up at a loss as to how much more he could say.

If he said what the secret was, Shishou might not guess Tohru because no one would consider her capable of killing someone. If he told Shishou it was Tohru who had told him a secret, he might try to speak with her about it. Tohru would then think that Kyo told him! There was no way he could break that trust.

"Shishou," Kyo found his words again. "This secret is very serious. I can't repeat it, but I know that even though this person has kept it and now told me, that somehow…. There must be more to it."

Shishou nodded, showing he was listening and trying to understand.

"This secret is so serious, that you feel revealing it is more dangerous than keeping it?" Shishou asked, trying to sum up Kyo's indirect words.

"Yes. I fear that it's a secret that was better kept with one person." Kyo finally voiced his most troubling thought.

Tohru telling him something to this degree could only result in it spreading around somehow. Here he was, trying to seek advice from Shishou, and what if Tohru decided to seek advice else where? What if she told Hanajima and Uotani? She had known them much longer than she had known him, and she openly spilled out her heart to him. There was no reason for her to keep anything from them. He hated to admit it, but he feared that she could be telling them at this very moment.

With this thought, Kyo leapt up quickly. "Shishou, I'm sorry, I have to go!"

He knew that Tohru had planned to meet Hana and Uo at the temple. If he hurried he may catch them in time. He ran out of the front entrance and dashed down the sidewalk. If there was a slight chance that Tohru told anyone else, there had to be someone waiting to here the secret.

What else could explain the newspaper clipping and old brochure from an anonymous sender? Someone else knew, and his heart sank at the thought of what someone was waiting for while clearly trying to send Tohru a message. That message could only mean 'I know your secret.'

But who could know?

* * *

"Bye Uo-chan, Hana-chan, thank you for listening to me!"

Tohru waved good bye to her friends as she set off toward home. She had not told them her secret, but only that she had received advice from Kyo on something that had been troubling her. They had tried to prod her troubles out of her, but she said it was no big deal and somehow managed to satisfy them with her answer. But now that she had told Kyo, a new thought had entered her mind.

What about the police?

She couldn't help but feel that somehow the body should have been found. She personally felt responsible to see that the man received a proper burial. But even though her conscious nagged at her to tell the police, one thing kept her from running to the nearest station and turning herself in.

"_He was my brother…"_

The man named Angelo had said they were brothers. She knew for sure that he had to be the sender of the two anonymous things she had received. She was scared he wanted revenge, and scared that he would try to hurt her if she ever ran into him again. Every corner she turned she would search for the long black limousine, fearing that he may be watching her. But what bothered her even more was that he knew about what she had done. How did he know?

_How could he possibly know? That area is completely off the map, and it rarely sees visitors. _Tohru thought to herself. _Is it possible someone else was nearby when it happened? A witness? And if there was a witness, had they come forward to his family?_

_Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap. _

The sound of heels approaching her from behind caused Tohru to turn around. A short Latin woman was walking very model like. She had short black hair and a black suit with a black coat. She had large black sunglasses covering her eyes, even though the sun was not very bright today.

As she passed by, a small notepad fell from her pocket and landed a few feet in front of Tohru. Being polite, Tohru picked it up and caught up with the woman.

"Um, excuse me?" Tohru trotted behind her.

The woman stopped and turned around. Tohru could see that she did not look very friendly.

"Yes?" She asked in a low voice.

"Uh-um, you dropped this." Tohru offered her the notepad.

The woman stared at her for a moment, and then slowly removed her sunglasses. Tohru took a step back. She looked exactly like Angelo, the man she met nearly a week ago.

"Well, if it isn't little Tohru Honda." She said in a sadistic voice.

"H-how do you-"

"Don't play dumb. I know you've met my cousin Angelo." She took the notepad from Tohru's shaking hand. "Don't you care to ask me my name?"

Tohru blinked. She felt like running more than engaging in an evil introduction. But, not wanting to anger this woman, she stayed rooted to the spot.

The woman sighed. "How rude. I must give my name without request." She bowed. "My name is Vanessa."

Tohru did not know what else to do except to bow in return. She bent over low. "Pleased to meet you."

Vanessa rose from her bow and placed her hand on her hip irritably. "Now that we know each other, let me tell you something Miss Honda."

Tohru fearfully stood her ground as Vanessa stepped closer.

"If you think that you can just get away with what you've done, then you are terribly mistaken." Vanessa tucked a lose strand of hair behind Tohru's ear, causing her to flinch. Vanessa smirked and whispered "If we were some place quiet at the moment, I would be done with you."

Tohru could feel her legs shaking uncontrollably. She was receiving a death threat in the middle of a deserted sidewalk. Was there no one around to witness this?

"Finishing you off would be the end," Vanessa continued, seeing Tohru's look of panic. "But, since you are so close to your friends, we may have to do away with them too."

Tohru's heart sank. "W-why?" She stuttered. "_I _did it! No one else was there!" Tohru said panicking even more with every second.

"Oh, but that's not so." Vanessa moved Tohru's bangs out of her eyes. "I can see that you're frightened for the life of someone. Maybe you should not have told _him_, right?"

Tohru backed away from her. They knew she told Kyo. How could anyone know that she had told him? Had Kyo told someone? Someone who couldn't be trusted?

Vanessa smiled evilly at Tohru's reaction. "What? Do you think that someone could _really_ keep a secret like _that_?"

Tohru could not believe her, she would _not _believe her. She always felt that Kyo was the person she most trusted. There was no way he would tell anyone.

"I think you need to evaluate your friends, and see who can be trusted," Vanessa swooped down and kissed Tohru's cheek.

".. And who _can not._"

Vanessa patted Tohru's cheek with a smile and slipped her sunglasses on, then blew her a kiss. "Don't leave the country now, our target must be easy to locate."

Tohru stood in disbelief. They were going to finish her? They had found out from Kyo? She had to speak with Kyo as soon as possible.

She watched Vanessa disappear behind a corner, and then set out at a run for Shishou-sans home.

* * *

"Tohru?!"

Kyo yelled as he ran up to the temple, hoping that if she was nearby she may hear him. He ran inside the temple and looked around. No sign of The Psychic or Yankee told they could not be there.

"Damn." He mumbled to himself. He ran out of the temple and started to jog down the street, peering into every window for any sign of Tohru's brown hair.

A couple streets more he began to think he may have missed her, or that she could have possibly gone home. Deciding to call the house he ran into the nearest shop and headed straight for the counter.

"Excuse me; may I use your phone?" He asked a woman at the front counter.

She pointed to it and Kyo quickly picked it up and started dialing.

_RRRIIINGG, RRRIIINGG, RRRIIINGG._

"Hello, Sohma residence." Yuki's voice greeted on the other line.

"Is Tohru home?" Kyo asked quickly.

Yuki blinked confused. "Stupid Cat?"

"Is she there? I can't find her." Kyo almost yelled.

"No. She's supposed to be with Hanajima-san and Uotani-san today." Yuki answered. "Or are you so stupid you do not remember her announcement at dinner last night?"

"Shut up!" Kyo yelled, causing Yuki to hold the phone away momentarily. "Look, just when you see her, tell her I need to speak with her. It's _really _important. "

"Is that all?" Yuki asked irritated.

"Yes…" Kyo said trailing off.

_Click. _

Yuki put the phone back on the hook and walked away. _What's going on? That stupid Cat sounded quite frantic. _Yuki wondered if Tohru was alright. He had not seen her for a couple of hours, but whenever she would spend time with her friends she would usually be gone most of the day. So why was Kyo acting so crazy?

_Maybe something is really wrong. _Yuki thought. Deciding it wouldn't hurt to go searching for her, he grabbed his coat from the closet and set out.

Twenty minutes later Kyo was back on the route leading away from Shishou's house. He was beginning to grow worried, believing he should have run into her by now. He stopped for a moment to think. She had been with Hanajima and Uotani…

He almost smacked himself in stupidity, because there was a great possibility she could have been at one of their houses the entire time.

The black limousine driving Vanessa and Angelo turned around the corner and on to the street where Kyo was now standing. He did not acknowledge it as it parked a little ways away across the street. Kyo did not hear the limo door slam or the brisk footsteps coming quickly from behind, because at that moment he saw her.

Tohru had just turned the corner and was now standing about fifty yards away from him. He was about to call out her name until someone said his from behind.

"Kyo Sohma?"

Kyo turned to see Angelo for the first time. But with no clue as to whom he could possibly be, Kyo looked at him in confusion. "Yes?" He said uneasy.

Angelo stepped up next to him and quickly grabbed his arm. "Good, I didn't want to hit the wrong guy."

Angelo threw his fist into Kyo's abdomen as hard as he could, knocking the wind out of him.

Kyo doubled over trying to catch his breath. He had never been caught so off guard.

Angelo grabbed him by the shoulders and straightened him up. "Now that I know who you are, I think you may find it easier to learn who I am from _her_." Angelo nodded in Tohru's direction.

Kyo was still holding his stomach. He wanted to call out to her but he didn't want her to see him in this state, so he resisted the urge.

Catching his breath he asked through gritted teeth "Who are you?"

Angelo patted him on the shoulder. "I am, as of today, your nightmare." He smirked at Kyo's expression.

Tohru was still far off, but he was sure that if she turned toward his direction she would see him. He half hoped she would, and half hoped she wouldn't discover him.

"What do you want?" Kyo asked, thinking of a strategy to get away from this guy.

"I want…" Angelo trailed off as he leaned close to Kyo's face. When they were almost nose to nose, he finished "To _kill_ her."

Kyo pulled his face away but Angelo grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Oh no, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Angelo said threateningly. "You see, I have a little something here."

He shoved his hand in his coat and showed Kyo the end of a hand gun. "You see, if you make any move that does not look like we are only speaking, I'll blow her pretty little head off."

Kyo looked at Tohru out of the corner of his eye. He could see her clearly now, and knew that she could see him. Her voice suddenly rang out into the air.

"Kyo-kun!"

Angelo tightened his grip on Kyo's shoulder. "One move, Sohma, and …" He squinted one eye in Tohru's direction. "…. _BANG! _She's a goner."

Kyo seen her stop and wait for him to respond. "Don't shoot her!" He begged, eyeing the gun with growing fear.

Angelo nodded. "Well, then just cooperate."

Kyo looked in her direction and seen her waiting patiently. "What do you want me to do?" He asked in desperation.

"Nothing really, just one friendly gesture so that _she_ can see nothing is wrong over here." Angelo released Kyo's shoulder.

Tohru stood watching Kyo. The sun was starting to go down and it was a little dark now, but she was sure that it was Angelo Kyo was standing with. The words that Vanessa had told her flooded into her mind.

"_Do you think that someone could really keep a secret like that?" _

Tohru watched in horror and disbelief as Angelo stuck out his hand.

_No, Kyo! Don't take his hand! _She wanted to shout, but was now afraid for their lives.

The ground beneath her seemed to give as Kyo shook Angelo's hand with a smile. How could he? Vanessa had been right, he _had_ told them. How else could Kyo possibly know Angelo? She had never mentioned meeting him outside of her work. She felt the tears fall as Angelo walked away with a friendly wave, and from what she could hear, a friendly "Thanks, Kyo!"

Her heart broke as Kyo began to walk toward her. She felt completely betrayed. Out of all the people she knew and trusted Kyo was the last she would ever think would break her trust.

Kyo could see something was wrong as he walked up to her. She was full out crying and she was shaking all over.

He ran the last few feet to her and quickly grabbed her hands in concern. "What's wrong?" He demanded. Had someone done something to her?

Tohru looked at him in disbelief. He had just sold her out to the people who wanted her dead.

"_What's wrong?_" Tohru repeated his words. "I don't know, what do you _think_ is wrong?" She choked out through her tears.

Kyo wondered if she had seen Angelo punch him. "What did you see?" He asked dreading the answer.

Tohru angrily pulled her hands out of his grasp and began to shout. "You! I saw _you, _Kyo-kun! _You_ told _them_ about my secret!"

Kyo stood completely confused. "What are you talking about?" He asked, lost as to what she was angry about.

Tohru began to back away from him. "I trusted you! I told you my secret because I believed that you would never tell anyone!"

Kyo gaped at her. "I haven't told anyone. Why would you think that I did?"

Tohru shook her head. "Please don't lie to me, Kyo-kun. You've done enough."

Kyo watched Tohru turn and run away at break neck speed. She was so fast that she reached the corner in some ten seconds and disappeared around the corner.

What was she talking about? What had he _done enough _of? He had not told anyone, not even Shishou. There was no way anyone could have found out, unless Tohru told someone.

He looked around at the street. A few people stood outside of a shop across the street staring at him.

"What are you looking at?!" Kyo yelled. "Never seen two people fight before?"

He gathered himself and set off for home, thinking of a way to try to talk to Tohru….

And maybe discuss this strange Latin man who had hit him.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope I'm not the only one who wants to deck Angelo right now. Poor Kyo, he never told anyone! Why is Tohru suddenly so losing her faith Kyo? And why is Kyo thinking she failed to tell him the whole story? Neway, what will Kyo say about Angelo? He doesn't even know they guys name. And Vanessa sure is manipulative. She actually fooled Tohru into believing Kyo would back stab her. **REVIEW PLEASE!! Inspiration always hits when I read reviews!**


	6. The Box

**General Disclaimer: **I do not own fruits basket or the characters! I only own my original characters and the plot!

**I was asked **if Akito is a woman. The discovery of this secret depends on how far you have read. In V. 17, it is revealed that Akito is indeed a woman and is kind of 'on and off' with Shigure. Therefore, Shikito.

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Box. **

"_We should have known that running off….could never fix anything."_

Tohru never went home. At about eleven o'clock Yuki answered the phone to hear from Hanajima that Tohru would be spending the night at her house. At that moment Kyo had just walked in the door, completely dirty from running around all day and looking quite on the edge of blowing up.

Yuki looked at him, dying to make a smart ass remark that would tick Kyo off even more. But deciding against it, he only informed Kyo that Tohru would be staying with Hanajima.

"Damn!" Kyo had yelled, as he punched the wall then stomped all the way to his room.

Yuki still held the receiver to his ear. He bid goodbye to Hanajima then went off to bed.

That had been at the Sohma House.

At the Hanajima residence, Tohru had shown up looking desperate, and Hanajima took her tear stained hand and lead her inside. She made her some tea and hugged her as she cried, never once pushing her to say what had caused her to be so upset.

Tohru never told Hana why she had come.

That is why it is now Monday morning, and Tohru could be seen with Uo and Hana standing at the lockers and wearing one of Hana's knee length skirts. Uo and Hana were yearning to know what was going on, because Tohru had informed them she did not wish to speak to Kyo.

"Why, Tohru? What did he do to you?" Uo asked, ready to hit Kyo the moment she caught sight of him walking down the hallway.

"It's nothing, really." Tohru tried to cover up her tracks. "Last night, that is…um…" Tohru tried to think of something to tell them.

"Yes, Tohru-kun? Is he the reason you came over?" Hana asked, finally voicing the question that had nagged at her all night.

"Yes, you see, Kyo-kun and I were out walking, and then…." Tohru tried to think of something believable.

"Did he do something inappropriate to you?" Hana asked.

"Did he try to _kiss _you?" Uo asked, suddenly excited with a fighting energy. "I'll bet he did! Damn Orangey, bet he's perverted!"

Tohru stood gaping at them. But deciding that they would not believe anything else, she went along. "Yes! He uh, tried to hold my…hand" She lied. "Then he kissed me!" She finished quickly, blushing at the fact that she was telling such a lie.

Uo's mouth dropped open and Hana's eyes narrowed.

"No way!"

"I shall have Megumi curse him."

"No! Please, don't!" Tohru begged. "Please, don't mention it, or do anything to him." She looked over their shoulder and tensed up.

The bright orange head was now walking up the hall straight toward them.

"Uh um, I have to go!" Tohru turned and sped off toward the girl's restroom.

"What the hell?" Uo said in disbelief.

"Hey, you two…"

Uo and Hana turned to see Kyo standing behind them. They looked at each other with glimmering eyes, ready to start teasing him.

"Yo, Orangey! Did not think you had it in you!" Uo said grinning. She punched him on the shoulder.

"What are you-?"

"Oh, please. Give her time to collect her thoughts. She's kind of slow." Hana began, placing a disapproving hand on his shoulder. "When you spring such a thing as a _kiss_ on a girl, she must have time to think it over."

"Huh?" Kyo exclaimed, not believing his ears. "What the hell are you guys rambling about?!" He yelled.

"Don't get so mad, Kyon!" Uo said laughing. "Everyone gets turned down once or twice."

"Yes, you must wait to find the right one." Hana added.

Kyo wondered if Tohru lied to them, just so she would be spared telling them the truth.

_RIIINNNGGG_.

"See ya in class, Orangey!" Uo and Hana walked away.

Kyo waited until the hallway cleared before making his way toward the girl's bathroom. He had seen Tohru dash in there, and so leaned against the wall and waited for her to leave.

"Just be brave." Tohru told herself, looking in the mirror over the sink. "You have to go home soon, so…"

Tohru had time to think about what Vanessa said. Even though she had witnessed Kyo shake Angelo's hand, she could not shake the feeling that something did not add up. _Something tells me it may have been some sort of … set up. _Tohru tried to make sense of the scene.

She took a deep breath walked out of the door, hoping that Sensei would not be too angry that she was late. She made her way down the hall, sliding her hand over the smooth lockers, wishing that there was someway to rewind time.

"Hey, you!"

Tohru was stopped by Kyo's arm blocking her way. She looked up at him and turned to walk the other way, but he just placed his hand and her other side, keeping her in front of him.

"Don't run from me." Kyo said firmly, thinking of how to make her listen.

"Kyo-kun, please…" Tohru begged. "I don't want to talk right now."

Kyo ignored her words. "I don't know what happened yesterday, but I did _not_ tell _anyone_."

Tohru looked away from him, searching the hallway for any sign of life other than Kyo and her.

"You have to believe me, Tohru." Kyo tried to convince her. "I would never repeat what you said. What kind of person do you think I am?"

Tohru looked him in the eyes, fully convinced that he was telling her the truth. Though she believed him, she did not want to talk about anything at school. She took one step toward him and slowly stood on tip toe, trying to reach his face.

Kyo's eyes widened as she inched closer. He was completely distracted by her eyes; she had never looked at him that way before….. Like she wanted to be _close_ to him. He leaned in toward her, wondering what he was doing and if she was feeling the same thing. His stomach performed a circus as he noticed the color rise in her cheeks.

She suddenly threw her arms out to try to hug him around the waist, but he caught her by the wrists and stopped her before she could cause him to transform.

"No, not this time." He said as he pinned her arms down to her side, trying to regain his composure and stop the butterflies going wild. "I had a feeling you would do that."

Tohru sighed, upset that Kyo had caught on. "Please just let me go. We need to go to class!" She tried to pull her wrists away from him.

Kyo mentally kicked himself for being so stupid as to fall for her distraction. He gritted his teeth and let her go.

Tohru took a step away from him, to ensure some distance as to not be cornered again. "Kyo-kun, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that, I don't know what I-"

"Let's talk at home." Kyo interrupted her, not wanting to here anymore. "Just promise me that we can talk at home."

Tohru nodded. "Okay, I promise."

Kyo did not look at her as they walked away in opposite directions. He was pretty upset that he fell for her trick. Was she taking advantage of his emotions? That would be so cruel; he did not know if he could look at her the same.

Tohru wanted to hide under a rock and die. She could not believe herself, trying to kiss him like that! She had only thought that by moving close to him she might freak him out and cause him to drop his guard, and then she could hug him and leave him as a Cat, unable to chase her. But she had gotten carried away at how he began to lean in toward her, and she almost did _kiss_ him. Luckily she remembered her plan at the last moment; otherwise things could have grown complicated if they had gotten any closer.

"Can you believe that?"

Uo and Hana had hidden behind a wall and seen the entire thing. They were completely shocked at how the two had behaved.

"I cannot believe he didn't let her hug him. " Hana whispered. "Tohru said he kissed her last night."

"I know." Uo began, not approving of the romantic association of the two. "Maybe she lied, maybe she was the one who made a move."

"Perhaps." Hana said as the two left their spot and headed for class. "Or she could just be lying to us about everything."

* * *

"I'll have the chicken."

Angelo and Vanessa sat in a restaurant ordering lunch and watching a man with short black hair closely. The restaurant was one of the upper class ones, where business lunches were held and the biggest names dined. The waiter walked away with their orders, leaving them to converse.

"Do you really think he's a man?" Vanessa asked, looking across the room.

"No. But he says he is, so I suppose he must be." Angelo took a drink of his wine. "But it does not matter, as long as he's keen on hearing Tohru Honda's dirty little secret, then we have nothing to worry about."

Vanessa nodded in agreement. "You told me he's the Head of his Family, but what is his _real_ association with the girl?"

Angelo set down his glass. "A little birdie told me that the girl knows some sort of family secret, and is therefore allowed to live with the three men."

Vanessa cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, that is interesting." She eyed the man across the room in envy. "I suppose we all have our skeleton filled closets."

Angelo nodded. "Yes, and I was also told that he does not care too much for her. I believe the birdie's exact words were '_He is quite jealous of her because of her good nature.' _Bullshit."

"Where was her _good nature _when she knocked your brother's face off?" Vanessa said sarcastically. "Forgotten momentarily?"

"I really don't care why this guy hates her." Angelo said thorough gritted teeth. "As long as he can ruin her, I'll be happy."

The two prepared to leave as they watched the man get up to leave the restaurant.

As they made their way for the door, Angelo added an after thought. "Who knows, if his temper is as violent as I was told, we may never have to get our hands dirty."

Vanessa smirked as the two approached the man getting into his limo. They stopped at the open door and smiled heartedly.

"Akito Sohma-san?" Vanessa asked sweetly.

"Yes?" Akito answered in her best male voice.

Angelo pulled a picture of Tohru out of his pocket and held it up for Akito to see.

"Do you know this girl?"

* * *

Prince Yuki Sohma sat in the student council room, bored out of his mind at the ramblings of Kakeru.

"We have to be united!" Kakeru yelled excitedly. "The school defense force!"

"Would you stop your ridiculous rambling and concentrate!?" Kimi said in a melodramatic tone.

_Oh boy, this is so irritating. _Yuki thought to himself.

"Ooh! Yun-Yun! Did you see the new girl today?" Kimi exclaimed, grabbing hold of the desk that contained Yuki. "She's really pretty! And she's a second year!"

Yuki sighed. He was not very interested in some new girl. He had not once run into Tohru that day, and school was already half way through.

"No way! Is she hot?" Kakeru asked, somehow more excited than before.

"She's some sort of Latin. She has- oh! There she is now!" Kimi exclaimed, pointing out into the hallway.

Kakeru leapt up and grabbed Yuki by the arm. "Come on, Yun-Yun!" He pulled Yuki clear off his feet.

Before he could hit Kakeru he was dragged into the hall so hard that he almost crashed right into her.

"Oh!" She exclaimed in a girly voice, moving aside as to avoid a collision.

Kakeru bowed instantly. "Hello! I am-"

"An idiot." Yuki interrupted him. "Pointing to the council room and silently demanding him away.

"Aw! Come on Yun-Yun!" Kakeru complained. "I want to meet her too!"

Yuki pushed him inside the council room and shut the door.

"Uh, excuse me; are you the school President?" The girl asked in the same girly voice.

Yuki looked at her for a moment. She had long curly black hair and round dark brown eyes. She was about as tall as Tohru, and about the same body build. Most girly voice sounded irritating to Yuki, but hers was more genuine. He could feel a vibe of sincerity.

"Yes, that's me." Yuki answered finally. "And you are?"

She bowed respectively. "My name is Catalyna Lorenzo. Pleased to meet you Sohma-Senpai."

Yuki was surprised at how well-mannered she was. She seemed as kind as Tohru. "Wait, Senpai?" He repeated. "But are you not a second year too?"

Catalyna blinked. "Yes, but you are more knowledgably of this school than I am. Besides, you are older than I am." She blushed in embarrassment.

Yuki looked confused so she continued.

"This morning I was being lead by Motoko-Senpai, the third year, and she knew everything about you. She told me how old you are and so I just thought I'd call you Senpai!" She explained rather quickly.

"Oh." Yuki said, now understanding what may have happened. "Did she tell you to call me that?" He asked. "Because you don't have to."

"Oh." She looked relieved. "Uh, are you sure?" She asked uneasy.

"Yes, I'm positive." Yuki nodded and smiled. "And which would you prefer?"

Catalyna blinked in confusion. "Prefer?"

"I can call you Lorenzo-san or Catalyna-san." He explained. "Which do you prefer?"

"Uh…" She thought for a moment. "Would it be inappropriate to call me by my first name only?" She asked innocently.

Yuki's cheeks turned pink. "No. But just because we are not too familiar with each other…"

"Well I would prefer that you use my first name only, but if you must use one then it makes no difference which." She smiled.

"Where are you from anyway?" Yuki asked outright.

"I'm from North America." She said happily. "Japan is such a nice change!"

_North America? _He thought to himself, wondering how strange it must be to be so far away from home.

"Uh, Sohma-san, I don't know my way around very well." Catalyna said awkwardly. "Would you mind showing me?"

* * *

Kyo never attended school that day. Instead, after leaving Tohru, he had gone straight home in hopes of gathering himself before facing her again. But even more than gathering himself, Kyo had a more important reason for leaving school. He had remembered something he had failed to find while hiding in her closet.

The Box.

The anonymous package that Tohru had received at the end of the previous week still lay hidden somewhere, and Kyo intended to use the time she was at school to find it.

After telling Kyo her secret Tohru stopped locking her room, and so Kyo had been in there the entire morning searching for where she could have hidden the box. He had already examined her closet again, this time searching the top shelves and every crevice he could find. The box had failed to be found under the bed, behind her dresser, in all four corners of her room, and beneath a pile of laundry next to her door.

After angrily tearing through every room in the house, Kyo headed outside for fresh air. He had been searching for nearly five hours without a break or a moment to_ really _think.

Kyo walked a little ways into the trees planted on the property, trying to clear his mind and think of any clever place it could be. He leaned against a tree and looked up, seeing a bird chirping happily.

He leaned back to far and felt the wood suddenly give way.

"What the hell?" He exclaimed rather loud, turning around to examine the tree.

There was a hole in the trunk that had been strategically covered in loose bark and wood, making it completely invisible to anyone who would not touch it. Thinking that the box could possibly be in here, Kyo tore the bark out viciously, throwing it aside and completely ruining the clever hiding spot.

Kyo gasped. There it was in the tree, tapped up and really battered.

He looked around; making sure that the stupid Dog was no where near. Seeing the cost clear he pulled the box out and set it on the ground.

"Scissors…"

Kyo ran in the house and quickly grabbed a pair of scissors. After finding a pair he ran back to the box so fast that he skinned his knees landing in front of it.

He quickly cut open the seal, praying that there was a severed head inside. He opened the flaps and with shaking hands ripped through the tissue.

Kyo stared at the contents in confusion.

"I believe he's okay. He's outside at this moment."

Shigure held the receiver to his ear, speaking with Shishou about Kyo's strange behavior.

"_I'm not sure what's going on, but he seemed very scared when we last spoke." _Shishou said from the other line. "_Are you sure you haven't noticed anything strange?" _

Shigure smirked into the phone. "No, they've all just been _playing _like good little high school children."

Shigure turned at the sound of the front door sliding open.

"I'm home."

Tohru slid her shoes off at the entrance, noticing Shigure on the phone and keeping quiet respectfully.

Shigure put the phone on the hook and turned to Tohru. "Hello, Tohru-kun. You actually came home."

Tohru nodded. "I'm sorry Shigure-san; I only spent the night at a friend's house." She bowed. "I will make an extra special dinner tonight to apologize."

"Oh, there's no need, but if you can, then yes please!" Shigure clapped his hands together in fake enthusiasm that Tohru failed to notice.

"Yes, of course!" She turned to walk away. "Uh, wait Shigure-san? Would you happen to know where Kyo-kun is?"

Shigure pointed toward the trees.

"Thank you!" She said as she trotted out of the door and looked around.

"Kyo-kun?" She called out to the trees.

She walked around the house to the backyard and called out his name again. "Kyo-kun?"

"Tohru…"

She turned to see Kyo staring at her. He held something under his arm and looked like he was at a loss for words.

"Kyo-kun, are you alright?"

Kyo shook his head and showed her the objects under his arm.

Tohru grew wide eyed as Kyo held up the picture of her mom and a man, _the man _that Tohru had left dead.

Kyo could see that he had busted her in a lie.

"Did you…._know_ him?"

* * *

**A/N: **Dun dun dun! Oh man what is Tohru hiding? Keep reading to find out!

**REVIEW PLEASE!!**


	7. No Mercy

**A/N: **Hello! New chapter! Yay! It took me a little longer to update, considering I popped out 6 chapters in one weekend. I have to agree with the reader Vikertee who said they pity Akito-san. I feel so bad for her; no woman should have to pretend to be a man! Tohru is quite the lying seductress don't you think? Well, people always do nutty things when they are desperate.

* * *

**Chapter 7: No Mercy**

Tohru stood with her mouth slightly open. She looked at the picture in Kyo's hand, mentally slapping herself for not burning it. She desperately thought of a way to fix this, a way to undo what Kyo had discovered. She did not want to tell the whole truth; it was far too complicated.

Kyo pulled another picture out from under his arm and held it up; this one was of a younger Tohru, riding on her mom's back and smiling at the man as he ruffled her hair.

Tohru could no longer bear it, she turned and ran straight into the trees, and headed for the place she had hid the box. She found the hole open and began to desperately search through the remaining loose bark and wood. Kyo followed her and watched as she fell to her knees in front of the tree, burying her face in her hands and saying "No, no, no, no."

Kyo no longer knew what to believe. He walked over to where she sat and dropped the pictures in front of her. "Tohru…"

"I'm sorry, Kyo-kun." Tohru began, now looking at the pictures. "I should never have told you anything." She gathered the photos together in her hands and stood facing him. "It was a mistake."

Kyo stopped her before she could walk away. "It was a mistake to _lie. _If this guy was a part of your life, then why did you tell me that self-defense story?"

"Because it's complicated." Tohru said, looking through the pictures. "The whole thing is so complicated. I don't understand the whole story myself."

"What do you mean?" Kyo asked.

Tohru looked at him and dodged the question. "Yesterday, why were you with that man Angelo?"

"Angelo?" Kyo asked. "The man who you seen me with? That's his name?"

"Yes." Tohru said. "You didn't know it before?"

"No. He just came up to me and started saying all this stuff about you." Kyo said, finally telling her about the previous days encounter. "He had a gun, and he said he wants….to …"

"Kill me?" Tohru finished for him.

"Yeah… so he told me to shake his hand so you wouldn't suspect anything." Kyo explained the friendly hand shake.

Tohru would not voice her growing fear, but knew that Kyo's life was now very much in danger. If these people knew who she was, what she had done, and everyone in her life, then they could easily find her anywhere she may go. Receiving the package indicated that they knew her place of residence, and finding the envelope on her locker at school meant they knew that she was attending. Tohru knew that all these things would not be difficult for _anyone_ to discover, but the fact that they seemed to know who she trusted most really sent her mind reeling.

"Are you going to tell me the truth?"

Tohru snapped out of her thoughts and shrugged. "I don't know if I should."

"You should." Kyo said, taking one of the photos and looking it over. "I _need _to know the truth."

Tohru nodded in agreement. "Okay I'll tell you, but I'm scared after I do that you will think differently of me."

Kyo knew that this was a possibility. But wanting desperately to know the truth he tried to tell her otherwise. "No, Tohru. I won't think of you any diff-"

"Tohru-kun, Kyo-kun! Please come here!"

Shigure was standing some ten to fifteen feet away at the door waving to them cheerfully.

The two walked over to him, not looking at each other in fear of what the other was thinking.

"Yes, Shigure-san?" Tohru asked respectfully.

"I have just been informed that Akito wishes to have a last minute meeting with the cursed zodiac," Shigure paused and suddenly looked uneasy. "But he wanted me to see that _you two _come along."

Kyo and Tohru wore matching expressions or confusion. They looked at each other awkwardly, wondering the same thing.

Does he know?

"Come now, he wants to meet within an hour." Shigure beckoned them inside to get ready.

Tohru headed up the stairs with her head hanging and not another word. Kyo however, as soon as Tohru's door was safely shut, rounded on the Dog.

"What the hell does he want with us?" Kyo demanded in a threatening manner.

"How should I know?" Shigure smirked. "I'm not his right hand man."

Kyo punched the wall in frustration of all the events as of late. "Yes you are!" He began to yell. "You always have an ulterior motive to everything you do!"

"That may be true," Shigure did not deny Kyo's words. "But I still don't know why Akito would want you two there. He's been acting strange lately."

Kyo glared at him, knowing that this summons would definitely turn out for the worst.

"This is going to be just like the summer house." He mumbled to himself before walking away.

* * *

"And so I moved here with hopes of starting over!"

After showing Catalyna around the school Yuki had somehow ended up walking home with her. He listened to her explanation of why she had moved to Japan with much interest. The two were close to the Sohma building Tohru worked in and Yuki was so fascinated by her story that he failed to notice. She had told him that her parents were shot and killed by a cop, who had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter. According to her tragedy she and her aunt had grown angry and moved, hoping the laws would be more forced as to not allow things to slip through the public's notice.

"And you're so… lively." Yuki pointed out after she had stopped talking.

"Lively?" She asked with a very confused look that resembled Tohru's confused expression. "What do you mean?"

"Most people who suffer from tragedy tend to be distant." Yuki explained his opinion. "Except this person I know. She's very kind and she lost her parents too."

Catalyna's expression changed to one of deep sadness. "Oh my, is she alright?"

Yuki nodded speechless. He could not believe how similar to Tohru she was. With only a couple of morning hours and an afternoon of meeting and speaking with her Yuki felt like he had met Tohru's twin. Selfless, caring, sweet, happy, and worrisome over every one she cared about.

Catalyna blinked as he stared at her. "Um, did I say something wrong?" She asked.

Yuki shook his head. "No, you just remind me of my good friend. Perhaps you would like to meet her?"

Just as he was used to from Tohru, Catalyna's eyes widened and she smiled happily. "Yes! I'd love to meet her!"

"Great, I can introduce you two tomorrow at school, or maybe you can stop by today and-"

_BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP. _

"Oh! Excuse me." Catalyna pulled out a black flip phone and answered. "Hello?"

Not wanting to eaves drop Yuki looked around and finally noticed the Sohma building. The two stood on the sidewalk a little ways past the building and Yuki glanced around. He stopped and stared across the street at a long black limousine.

Just as he noticed it the same woman he had seen before opened the door and stepped out, glaring at the spot where Yuki and Catalyna stood. She then began to walk across the street quickly, and Yuki grabbed hold of Catalyna's arm.

"Huh?" Catalyna exclaimed. "E-excuse me what are you-"

"Just walk okay." Yuki whispered as he pulled her along. "There's someone suspicious walking across the street and I'd rather avoid conflict."

She did not respond but followed him quickly with the same expression of confusion.

As soon as they reached the end of the street and were about to turn the corner Yuki looked back; the woman and the limousine were no where in sight.

Yuki finally let go of her arm. "Okay, all clear."

Catalyna looked back at the street. "Oh!" She said putting her still open cell phone to her ear. "Auntie? Sorry I dropped my phone. I'll be home soon. Bye." She flipped it shut and turned to Yuki. "My Auntie wants me home. May I meet her tomorrow?" She asked sincerely.

"Sure. She'll be happy when I tell her about you."

Catalyna smiled. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow!" She turned and walked a different direction.

Yuki watched her walk away, dumbstruck at his luck of meeting someone so kind. The vibration of his pocketed cell phone brought him out of his thoughts as he pulled it out and answered it. "Hello?"

"_Yuki-kun, where are you?" _Shigure asked on the other line.

"Walking home, why? Did something happen?"

"_No. Just don't bother coming home. Akito called for a last minute meeting and wants us all there within an hour. Just head over to the Estate."_

"Okay." Yuki said closing his phone and staring at the smooth surface. _What could be so important right now?_

Yuki was so wrapped in his thoughts that he failed to notice the black limousine return and park far off down the street… The back window was rolled down half-way and a pair of binoculars could be seen pointed in Yuki's direction. The looker lowered the binoculars and narrowed his bright green eyes as the prince began to walk away with a sad expression.

"My my, our prince does not seem thrilled." Angelo hit a button on the arm rest and the window slid up. He turned to his cousin and smirked in gratitude. "What could possibly make him so unhappy?"

"Maybe he's been summoned to meet with Akito." Vanessa said casually. She pulled a black leather purse out from underneath her seat and began to dig through the contents. "Perhaps Akito has some news he must tell the family?" She pulled out a compact mirror and looked at her face.

"Mm." Angelo grunted in agreement. "My only concern now is of that Kyo."

"And why should he concern you?" Vanessa snapped, closing her compact and dropping it in her purse. "He's not going to believe a word that stupid girl says after today."

Angelo wore and expression of uncertainty. "This could go wrong if we fail to be present but hidden."

Vanessa cocked an eyebrow and turned her eyes out of the window. "We can't miss this; Tohru Honda may need some consoling afterwards."

* * *

"What's going on Hatori?"

The Sohmas at the Sohma estate were now gathered waiting in Akito's room. Ten confused and curious cursed Sohmas were present and accounted for. Momiji was so curious he had been bugging the adults to tell him what the summons was about.

"I don't know, Momiji." Hatori's calm voice replied. He looked over at Ayame and seen the same worried expression that everyone seemed to be wearing. "We should all be as kind as possible when he gets here."

Kisa sat next to Hiro, grasping his hand in fear and looking close to tears. "Hiro-chan, do you think Akito is angry with us?"

Hiro looked at her and his heart just about melted. "No, Kisa. As far as I know, we haven't done anything wrong." He squeezed her hand affectionately.

"I hope you're right." She said barely above a whisper. She pulled her hand away as the door slid open and every head turned to see who it was.

The three nervous looking forms of Shigure, Kyo and Tohru walked in and took a seat behind the rest of the already seated Sohmas.

"Onee-chan!" Kisa cried out in joy. She leapt up and dashed over to a zoned out Tohru and threw her arms around her neck.

"Oh! Kisa-san!" Tohru cried out in surprise. She looked at the fearful expression of the Tiger, and then looked around at the other Sohmas. Each face she had come to know and love, no matter how happy they normally were, now held the fearful and worried expression matching Kisa's.

Kyo sat beside her and wondered if he should try and comfort Kisa. He reached his hand out and gently patted the Tiger's head, deciding doing something would be better than doing nothing at all.

Kisa turned and looked at him in surprise. "Kyo-chan?" She asked in confusion. "Why are you and Onee-chan here?"

Kyo shrugged. "I don't know. Akito wanted to see us too." He couldn't keep the worry from creeping onto his face as he looked at her large orange eyes. Even though he never really spoke to the young girl, he would rather not have her start crying. He gave her a weak smile. "I'm sure everything should be okay."

Kisa looked unconvinced, but turned and smiled at Tohru. "I've missed you Onee-chan, why have you been so sad lately?"

At that moment Tohru was spared of answering her question as the door slid open and the angry form of Akito stepped in. He stood fully clothed in a suit and tie, wearing the angriest expression Tohru had ever seen. Every person watched as Akito's eyes narrowed suspiciously and scanned across the room.

"Where's the Rat?" He asked in a very calm tone.

Tohru looked around, realizing for the first time that Yuki was not there. _Where is Yuki-kun? _

Akito walked over to Shigure and placed a shaky hand on his shoulder. "Where is my Yuki?"

"I don't know." Shigure responded, his resembling look of fear gone to be replaced by a smug smile. "I called him and told him to be here."

Kyo watched the stupid Dog. _I bet he's in on this, I just know he is. The bastard._

Akito glared at Shigure and his eye twitched as she tried to hold back the anger that was boiling up. "I suppose we can start without him."

Tohru snuck a glance at Kyo out of the corner of her eye. He looked ready to start yelling; she wondered how to calm him down. _Please don't start a fight Kyo-kun, please. _She begged in her mind. She reached her hand out toward his, hoping he wouldn't pull away. She closed her eyes and gripped the top of his hand.

Kyo felt the soft squeeze and looked down. His face immediately turned a deep scarlet and he tried to hide his sudden blush by looking away from her.

"I can assume," Akito began, standing before everyone. "You are wondering why I called for this meeting."

Tohru was only half listening as the Sohmas around her nodded awkwardly towards the god. She watched Kyo turn away and felt as though her heart would fall apart. The tightening of her throat and the falling feeling in the pit of her stomach caused her to pull her hand away more aggressively than she intended to.

"Maybe someone has an idea why I called this meeting?" Akito suggested to the Sohmas. "Does anyone? Maybe… Kyo?"

Kyo heard his name and stared at Akito in surprise. He definitely had a suspicion, but was not about to voice it for all to hear. He shook his head slowly, hoping his inner battle would not present itself in his expression.

"You have no …. Thought or idea?" Akito pressed on. "Come now, my little monster, you may speak. Do not be shy." She smirked at her own evilness.

Kyo lowered his eyes to the floor as he felt himself begin to shake in anger. _Damn! He's trying to piss me off! He knows that I'll blow up. Just calm down you idiot. Don't wuss out and start an argument. _Kyo tried to convince himself and calm his rising temper by taking quiet deep breaths.

Tohru felt something erupt in her, a strange rush of restlessness and she wanted to yell. It was anger at how Akito was speaking to poor Kyo. She looked the orange haired defenseless teen beside her; he was trying with all his might to suppress his anger and hurt by looking at the floor. She felt the rare feeling of anger rise and she turned to glare at Akito.

Akito seen the reaction she was looking for in Tohru. "Maybe you have an idea, Tohru Honda?"

Her anger melted away as quick as it had come to be replaced by panic. "N-no, Akito-san." She stuttered respectfully. _I can't get angry! It's not right for me to be angry. _She scolded herself for the feeling.

"Wow. I am quite disappointed." She shook her head in disapproval. "I suppose I shall explain myself." She folded her arms across her chest and looked at all the worried faces. "I met someone today."

Kyo felt Tohru flinch next to her. He wanted to take her by the hand and run out of there, never looking back. But knowing that there would be serious consequences, he stayed put and watched as Akito enjoyed the situation.

"It seems that someone in this room," She looked Tohru dead in the eye. "Has been hiding something."

No one noticed this as they all began to nervously look around. Tohru pulled her gaze away from Akito and watched as Isuzu glanced at Hatsuharu across the room with a guilty face. Hiro side glanced at Kisa while Kagura looked around at everyone. Tohru noticed as Momiji's eyes shifted over to her. He stared at her for a moment before turning red and looking away.

"I suppose no one wants to fess up to anything before I reveal the secret I've discovered." Akito watched each person shift awkwardly, as though thinking they should say something. "Does anyone have anything to say before I continue?"

No one said anything and Akito continued.

"I was told today, that someone in this room has done something terrible. Something that is unforgivable and definitely _disgusting_." She spat the last word. "They've lived with this secret for quite a while and recently came clean to a dear friend."

Tohru began to panic. _Oh no, does Akito-san know? Please don't let him have met Angelo and Vanessa! I don't want the rest of the Sohmas to know about this! _She felt her stomach begin to gurgle as she felt as though she may be sick from the anxiety. She subconsciously grabbed onto Kyo's sleeve as she held back the sick that was threatening to come out.

Kyo looked at her and seen she was sweating and shaking. She gripped his sleeve tightly and looked like she was producing a fever. Her bottom lip began to quiver and she held her abdomen with her other hand.

"Onee-chan, what's wrong?" Kisa whispered from beside her.

"What _is_ wrong, Tohru?" Akito asked and every head turned to the back of the room. "Is something wrong? Do you need to say something?"

Tohru shook her head frantically as Kisa grabbed the hem of her skirt and pulled lightly.

"Are you going to be sick, Onee-chan?" She asked as she looked around for a trash can. "Do you need to throw up?"

"Of course she does. I would be sick if I did what she did." Akito slowly walked over to where they sat. "Is it true, Tohru? Did you really do _that_ to that innocent man?"

"Akito, stop!" Kyo begged. "Don't do this to her, please!"

"What's going on?" Momiji stood up bravely. "What did Tohru do?"

Tohru couldn't take it anymore, she stood up and made to run for the door, but Akito grabbed her arm and held her back.

Kyo began to panic, racking his brain for something to keep Akito from upsetting her further.

"No you don't, Tohru. You know what you did was wrong!" Akito yelled, gripping her arm tightly.

The door slid open and Yuki stepped in, he stopped and watched the scene before him in confusion.

Akito seen Yuki step in and smiled. "Yuki, you've come! Now you can hear Tohru's dirty little secret!"

Yuki looked at Tohru's miserable state and seen her eyes wide in panic.

Akito turned his head to look at everyone. "The innocent, sweet, _good natured, _kind and understanding girl you all care _so much _for committed a crime. A crime that will send her soul to the depths of hell!"

Every head was turned to Tohru as she tried to hold back the vomit. She braced herself for her secret to be exposed.

"Tohru Honda," Akito smirked evilly. "Is a cold blooded murderer, who killed her mother's boyfriend."

Every mouth fell open as they looked at Tohru.

Tohru tore her arm away and ran out the door, pushing Yuki out of the way. She made it a few yards from the house when she threw up in an outdoor trash can. She wiped her mouth and looked around, eager to get away. She ran full speed to the exit and didn't stop as she accidentally ran into several people.

Kyo quickly got to his feet and made to chase after her, but Akito stopped him.

"Kyo, you really should just give her up." She wore the same smirk. "Come back to us and we can all be a happy family."

Kyo glared at the satisfied expression plastered on Akito's face. He turned away and grabbed Yuki by the shirt. "Come on, Rat. We need to find her."

Yuki nodded and followed Kyo out of the door. He had no idea what was going on or why Akito had accused Tohru of murder, but he had to find out, even if it meant chasing her along side the stupid Cat.

Akito watched from the door way as Yuki and Kyo set off at a run, completely satisfied at how smooth the meeting had gone. She stepped back inside as Momiji walked up to her.

"Akito, what are you talking about? Tohru would _never_ kill someone!" Momiji stated bravely.

_SMACK!_

"Don't defy my words!" Akito yelled at the now crying Momiji. She looked at the others and challenged them to stand up to her. "Come now, all who believe I'm lying!"

No one moved and Akito smirked again.

_She's completely ruined now. All of my zodiac shall return to me, the one who loves them most. …_

* * *

**A/N: **_Gasp! _Dun dun dun! Poor poor Tohru she doesn't need this abuse! I wonder what will happen next time? **Please review, it inspires me to hear your positive feedback. **Thank you for all the encouragement!


	8. Reality Of Kept Things

**A/N: **I've been doing some thinking and I believe I should not hold back on any craziness. This story can be over the top or rather mellow, but I really want it to be like …. BOOM! Didn't see that coming! Anyways, I wasn't planning on updating so soon, because I've been sort of discouraged even though I have lots of ideas. It was brought to my attention by **katalina0525** that Tohru is a little OOC. Yes, that is very true, but she's right she's still sweet and polite. Come on, even if I knew anyone that nice I would expect them to fall to pieces in this kind of situation. And **Vikertee** did point out that Akito-san is naïve. Yes, here in this fic, she definitely is. I agree with the strategy of turning the tables on Akii, but we must remember there are broken people in this family in much need of counseling! Trusting is an issue!!

But, enough of my rambling, on with the story! Ride Destiny!

* * *

**Chapter 8: Reality Of Kept Things**

"You are so rude!! You could say sorry!"

Tohru did not stop as she accidentally hit someone in her mad dash to get as far away from the Sohma Estate as possible. Every turn she made at every corner she reached seemed to be still too close to Akito. Why? Why had she been so ignorant as to actually agree to see Akito? Why had Kyo looked away from her? _Do the Sohmas believe Akito-san? _The question brought tears to her eyes, but she never stopped to wipe them away as her feet carried her to the woodsy area surrounding the home of Shigure.

She finally slowed to a stop as she avoided heading to the house. _That's probably the first place Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun, or Shigure-san would go if they tried looking for me. _She stopped at a very tall and wide tree and leaned her back against it, trying to catch her breath.

_What now…? _

The thought came, what to do now? Should she explain herself to Kyo, and hope he understood? Should she explain herself to _all _the Sohmas? _No, they would not understand. _There were no sounds as she looked around. It seemed as though any sort of animal that would be lively was currently keeping to itself.

The sun was going down, due to the days becoming colder and shorter. She shivered, not so much to the crisp air, more to her thoughts wandering to the fact that she was alone.

_If only I would have never told Kyo anything. I'm so stupid! _She slid down the tree, sobbing and scolding herself for her stupidity.

_What do I do now…?_

"She might be packing or something."

"I don't think so. She may be in her room crying and upset."

"Hopefully she isn't doing anything stupid."

Tohru lifted her head and listened to the two voices coming nearer.

"What happened back there anyway?"

_Yuki-kun! He's out here!_

"Why don't you ask her when we get there, maybe she'll tell _you_ the truth."

Tohru froze at the sound of Kyo's voice. They two boys sounded like they had to be close by and she assumed they must be heading toward the house. _Should I just go home….? No, yes, I don't know. _She stood up to make an attempt to distance herself from them, but her feet would not budge as the voices faded and she passed her moment of weakness. She shook her head. _No, I need time to think about this. _Without a second thought she walked in the opposite direction.

"_Tohru, I would like you to meet someone." _

She shook her head and her hair whipped her face, her mother's voice speaking in her memories.

"_This is my new friend, his name is…"_

She stopped and closed her eyes, trying to shake the voice.

"_His name is…"_

"Nothing!" She said aloud, pushing the thoughts and voice away. "His name was nothing…"

She opened her eyes and looked around. She was standing at the edge of a hill, and the sun had now disappeared completely. It must have been a while she had been running and wandering, but as she looked off she couldn't fathom going back to the house to face Yuki and Kyo. Her sobs had calmed, but now as she looked into the distance off the side of the hill, all of the pent up feelings were threatening to break out.

"Why…?" She said through her tightening throat and paining chest. "Why?" The tears began to fall uncontrollably and she buried her face in her hands. She could feel her whole body shaking and yearning to be held and comforted by someone, anyone who gave a damn about her. She looked up at the sky, lost as to how to fix the mess. Without any other means of releasing her emotions she glared at the clear blackness of the sky.

"WHY??" She screamed at the stars. "WHY ME?? I NEVER WANTED THIS!!"

"Don't yell at the sky, it's not _its _fault _you're_ disgusting."

Tohru spun around as she recognized the low, cold and manipulative voice of Vanessa. She was standing about eight feet away from her, accompanied by the green eyed Angelo, who looked at Tohru with an expression of great loathing.

"What's wrong?" Vanessa mocked as she folded her arms across her chest. "Were you not expecting to see us?"

"Let's get the job done, Vanessa." Angelo spoke angrily. He reached into his jacket without taking his eyes away from Tohru, and pulled out a short dagger-like knife.

Tohru stared at the sharp blade, her heart beginning to pound as the situation sunk into her brain. _They're going to kill me! They really are going to kill me! What do I do!? _

Vanessa smirked at the panicked expression that had taken over Tohru's face. She smiled and turned to Angelo and stuck out her hand. "Please, dear cousin, allow me."

Angelo shifted his eyes toward Vanessa, then handed the knife to her and folded his arms over his chest. Both still wore the intimidating all black suits, making the situation seem more business-like than criminal.

"So, Tohru," Vanessa began to walk toward the frightened girl. "May I call you that?" She tapped the blade in her other hand as though itching to drive the point into the defenseless brunette. "I'll suppose that the Sohma family no longer believes a word you say."

Tohru did not reply but kept her eyes glued to the blade.

"You can answer me." Vanessa stated matter-of-factly. "Don't be shy, we already know you _quite _well." She started to pace slowly in front of Tohru.

"Get on with it, Vanessa!" Angelo snapped suddenly, causing Tohru to jump in surprise and stare at him with wide eyes. Vanessa, however, remained indifferent.

"Angelo, I have something to say, and I would like to say it now if you don't mind." Vanessa turned to him with a warning look. Seeing Angelo relax and return to glaring at the girl, she continued. "I see that your life as of now may be ruined. Am I right?"

Tohru chanced a glance at her before focusing on the blade again.

Vanessa took a dangerous step closer to her and grabbed her forearm aggressively.

"If you don't answer me now, I'll stab you without thinking twice about it!" She hissed in Tohru's face. "You are ruined, am I _right?" _She emphasized her seriousness.

Tohru looked into the hatred filled eyes of Vanessa. She nodded quickly, trying to think of a way to escape from the two.

Vanessa smirked. "See, that's not so hard." She patted Tohru's cheek with the hand carrying the blade. "Now, I will tell you this." She released her arm but remained close to her.

Tohru looked at the blade again, bracing herself for the stab she could see no escape from.

"It would be no fun to kill you now," Vanessa stated. "If we do, we can't watch your _precious life _fall to pieces." Vanessa said now laughing manically.

Tohru looked away from the blade again and seen the glaring Angelo crack an amused smile. He laughed lightly and Tohru's heart sank. _I should have just gone back to the house… I'm so stupid!_

And at the house two others were frantically searching…

"Tohru, are you here?"

Kyo called out her name as he opened the sliding front door to the house with more aggression than he meant to. Yuki followed him and he ran to the kitchen.

"Honda-san? Are you here?"

Kyo looked around, and then looked at the stairs. Gathering his temporarily lost common sense he ran up the stairs two at a time and dashed to her door. "Tohru?" He turned the handle and pushed the door, and almost fell over as it swung open.

"Tohru?" He looked around and seen no sign of the girl anywhere. Deciding to stop for a breath he walked over to her bed and sat down. His heart rate slowed to normal as he looked around and noticed that the room looked rather close to how he had left it earlier, when he had frantically searched for the box. Even with the events of the day, he couldn't help but hope that Tohru would never discover that he had gone in her room without permission. Not that at the moment he had any permission to be in there, but the excuse of "looking for her" seemed good enough to him to settle the overwhelming guilt that he was feeling for wanting to look through her things. But, this time he wanted to look through them because, put simply, he just wanted to.

He looked at her working desk; it was scattered with homework and other pieces of paper. Deciding to nose around there first, he stood up and walked over. He looked at the homework that he knew was hiding somewhere in his room and almost smiled. Her work was almost done but needed a few corrections. His eyes fell to some more homework and he moved it aside, looking for something a little more personal. A piece of binder paper that looked like a letter caught his attention. He looked closer to see the top line: _Dear Hana-chan, _

His curiosity called out to it, so he picked it up and began to read.

_Thank you for your note in class, it was very heart warming! Though I must disagree with the things you wrote about him. He is very kind if you just get to know him! He's rough around the edges, but I must remind you Hana-chan, no one's perfect. I feel safe when I'm with them, and I feel that I'm so very lucky. You know, I haven't told you or Uo-chan, but the thing I told you about my mom's old boyfriend has been getting to me. I shouldn't write this, but I feel like I can't talk about it. I want to be free of it, but I don't know how to. _

Kyo stopped momentarily to glance at the date, which he discovered the letter had been written about three months ago. He wondered for a moment, but then continued in hopes of discovering something more.

_I'm really scared. I've been having a lot of dreams about him and what happened at the camping trip. But, more than that, I discovered something. I don't know if I should tell you right now, but I know that I need too. You and Uo-chan both. I will tell you only a little, and that is that I discovered something in a room, I went in to-_

"What are you doing?"

Kyo wheeled around in surprise and dropped the note on the floor. Yuki was standing in the door way glaring at him.

"N-none of your business!" Kyo snapped, his guilt reaching its limit. "Did you find her?"

Yuki eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he had caught him doing something that might indicate perverted ness. "No, she's not in the house."

Kyo felt a wave of relief hit him, but it vanished quickly as worry set in to replace it. If she's not in the house, then she can't catch him in her room, but if she's not, then where the hell could she be?

Yuki pulled out his cell phone and began looking through his contacts. "Look, I'm going to call Uotani-san. You should call Hanajima-san and see if she's there." Yuki ordered more than suggested.

Kyo nodded. _Anything to get out of her room! _He walked past Yuki and headed down the stairs toward the house phone.

Yuki pushed the send button when he reached Uotani's number. He held the phone to his ear and waited patiently.

_RIIINNG, RIIINNG, RIIINNG, RIINGG. _

"Hello?" Uo's voice answered on the other line.

"Uotani-san, this is Yuki Sohma." Yuki said at once.

"Hey Prince Charming, what's up?" Uo said in her laid back tone.

"Would Honda-san happen to be at your house?" Yuki asked urgently.

"No." Uo answered. Then she began to frantically ask questions. "Why? Did she run off again? Did something happen between her and Kyon?!"

"What? " Yuki asked. "Uh, I don't know, but she's not here. We'll try Hanajima-san." He said.

"I'm going to look for her!" Uo yelled before hanging up the phone.

_Click. _

Yuki looked at the phone in confusion. _I know that Kyo and Tohru have been alone a lot, but what could have happened?_

* * *

Tohru watched the two continue to laugh as she tried to think of a way to escape. _There's no way they can be serious, why would they let me go?_

Vanessa recovered from her laughter and leaned close to Tohru. "For now, we will watch you." She cocked an eyebrow to match her amused smirk. "Consider this a present, for the time we will let you live."

Tohru stepped back as Vanessa swiped the blade at her quickly; it sliced the side of her waist and she lost her balance. She grasped the now bleeding deep cut and watched everything seem to move farther away as she fell backwards.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Tohru screamed as she felt her back hit the dirt and she began to tumble down the hill. Her head hit the ground with each time her body rolled over, scraping against twigs and rocks and forming scratches all over her bare arms and legs.

She rolled a few more seconds until she hit the bottom, falling flat on her back and feeling very sick with dizziness.

Vanessa looked down the hill and raised her eyebrows. "Well, I didn't mean for _that_ to happen." It was too dark to see the bottom, and she didn't fancy the idea of hiking down the hill just to see the result of the fall. With one last look she turned around and walked toward Angelo. "Falling like that, it was a nice touch to this sickening event."

Angelo held out his hand in request of his blade. "Perhaps she's dead, and we are spared of killing her." He suggested.

"I do hope not." Vanessa said as she handed him the knife. "It would be a shame not to go through the process of killing her and hiding the body."

"I suppose you're right." Angelo agreed as he wiped his blade on his sleeve, cleaning away the blood. "After what she did, I'd like to mutilate her and distribute her remains to some kind of animals."

Vanessa nodded and the two turned and walked away.

Tohru lay quietly as she clutched her side, fearing that if she moved they may decide to kill her after all. The cut from the blade was not very deep, but would need some butterfly tape and a bit of doctoring. Everything was very dark and her eyes had not yet adjusted to the black. She wondered what time it was, and if Yuki and Kyo would leave the house to search for her.

_How could I let this happen? _She wondered, mentally slapping herself for not seeing common sense and going back to the house. She listened hard for the voices of Vanessa and Angelo, hoping they would leave so she could get up and go home. No voices could be heard so she decided to try and make it to the house. She sat up and winced immediately in pain. "Ow…" The cut was not deep but it sure did sting. She carefully got to her feet and began to walk. Luckily for her, this was not the first time she had fallen down this hill, so she knew where to go and how to find her way back to the house.

Her heart began to float as she remembered that day. They had just returned from the summer home and she was out walking around with Kyo…

"_Kyo-kun, why don't we try this way?"_

_The Orange haired and the Onigiri walked side by side in the woodsy area surrounding Shigure's home. Tohru had said she needed fresh air from unpacking and announced she would be back soon. Kyo had stated that if they let her go off on her own, she would most likely get lost or fall somewhere. So, he had decided to accompany her in case anything of the sort may happen. _

"_That way? Why?" He asked, sticking his hands in his cargo pant pockets._

"_Because," Tohru began as she turned to him and smiled. "I don't remember ever walking down this area." She turned and looked at the path leading in the new direction. "Unless we have, and I can't recall." _

_She turned and watched as Kyo looked down the direction with a worried expression. He looked very uncertain, and she had a feeling he may suggest continuing on the path they were already on. Not wanting to be taken down the familiar path like a child, she tugged on his sleeve lightly trying to convince him._

"_I won't fall, I promise." She said as she tugged a little harder. He looked away from the path and directly at her. Their eyes met, causing her heart to skip a beat. "I-I, I uh w-won't…" She heard herself begin to stutter under his intense gaze. "I w-won't f-fall." _

_He continued to stare at her, and she felt his hand clasp her own that was still holding on to his sleeve. She felt the blush consume her face and strange electricity erupt where the skin of their hands came in contact. She wanted to look away, but the hypnotizing color of his eyes kept her glued to the spot. _

"_Tohru…" _

_She almost didn't answer, but the slow movement of his face coming closer to her caused her to realize he had said her name. "Y-yes?" _

_He leaned down toward her until their noses were a couple inches apart, and with his free hand pointed down the direction they were already walking._

"_We are going this way." _

_He let go of her hand and turned, heading down the familiar path. _

_Tohru stood still, recovering from the moment. She turned around and tried to hide her face in her hands, scolding herself for thinking he might kiss her. ._

"_Are you coming?"_

_She turned around and looked at him. He certainly had no trace of embarrassment anywhere; he stood looking quite calm as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. _

"_Hey," He said, studying her face for a trace of her usual panic. "You coming?"_

_Tohru smiled at him and turned around, walking in the direction of her chosen pathway. With the most polite voice she could muster she replied to his question._

"_No."_

_Kyo looked at her in surprise. "What?"_

_Tohru began to walk down the path she had wanted to, smiling and not watching where she was going. _

"_Tohru, wait, why do you want to go this way?"_

_She ignored his question and hummed to herself, trotting along quickly. She could hear him following her silently, so she opened her eyes and seen she had walked in to a small clearing. A small boulder off to the side caught her attention; it had deep gashes in it that resembled claws. Realization hit her like a bullet and she turned around to look at the following orange haired boy._

"_K-Kyo-kun! This is-"_

"_I know." He interrupted her in a sorrow filled tone. _

_Without glancing at her, he walked over to the stone and stared at it. The memory of the night Shishou had removed his beads replayed in her mind, and she could feel the tension growing as no words were spoken. She decided to be rid of the silence and cautiously walked over to his side. _

"_Kyo-kun," She began as he continued to stare. "I didn't realize that this…" She trailed off, not sure of what to say. _

"_If this makes you uneasy, about my true form," He said as he turned his attention to a spot on the grass. "Then I won't blame you if you ever decide to not speak to me." _

"_Eh?" She said confused. Why was he acting so strange suddenly? She did not care about his true form, why did he not understand that? "Why would I not want to speak to you? I enjoy our time, Kyo-kun." She ignored the blush coming back to her cheeks._

_He suddenly turned to face her; his eyes full of something she couldn't read clearly. She began to fear she may have angered him, until he spoke. _

"_That night, I can't forget it." He said more calmly as he looked away from her and began to walk a little ways away from the broken boulder. "I come here sometimes, just to think." _

_Tohru followed subconsciously, and then seen that a little ways further was an edge to a hill. With courage she reached out and took his hand in hers, then pulled him toward the edge of the hill. She let go of his hand quickly and sighed. "What do you think about?" She asked boldly, looking off in to the distance where city could be seen, and down below where more land must be Sohma owned property._

"_Everything." He answered simply. _

_Tohru smiled at the view then turned to him. "I feel happy." She said, and then smiled so wide that she looked rather ridiculous. "Hee hee!"_

"_Pfft!" He snorted at her toothy grin. "What are you doing?" He started to laugh. _

_She watched him and wondered if she really looked that funny. The sound of her stomach growling very loudly caused him to stop laughing and her to panic. _

"_You hungry?" _

"_I haven't made anything to eat!" She began frantically. "Yuki-kun and Shigure-san must be starving!"_

_She turned around so quickly that she lost her balance and fell backward. _

"_AHHHHHH!" _

"_Tohru!!" _

_She rolled all the way down the hill until she hit the bottom on her stomach. She lifted her head slowly, very dizzy from all of the rolling. "Oww…." She mumbled from the pain of the landing. _

"_Hey!" She heard Kyo's voice above her, and she felt his arms turn her over so she was now on her back. "Are you okay!! Are you hurt??"_

_She blinked once, and then smiled. "I'm fine." She said. She sat up and looked at him, blinking in confusion. "Did you roll too?"_

"_Huh? No, I ran down." He answered. _

_She looked at her dirt covered clothes and gasped. "I'm all dirty!"_

_Kyo looked at her in shock. "I didn't ask about your clothes!!" He yelled. "I asked if you were hurt!"_

_She blinked at him again, and then burst out laughing uncontrollably. _

"_AH HA HA HA HA HA!!"_

_Kyo's dumbstruck expression caused her to laugh more as he stared at her confused. She held her stomach and began to calm down. _

"_Why are you laughing?!" He demanded when she looked at him. "This isn't funny!"_

"_I'm sorry!" She said, getting to her feet and beginning to dust herself off. "Rolling was just so fun!"_

_Kyo stood up too, facing her and looking completely caught off guard. "It was… fun?" He asked uncertain. _

"_Yes!" She said excitedly. "I want to do it again! But in something that I can get dirty." _

_The two found a way to get back to their path After a reprimand from Kyo to be more careful, and a failed attempt to purposely roll down the hill by Tohru, the two headed back to the house. _

Lost in her memory Tohru had made it back to the house and stood a little ways away from the sliding front door. She debated if she should go inside or not, wondering if Yuki and Kyo would listen to reason. She wished with all her might that things would go back to normal, and that her past would have just stayed where it was. _But, no sin can go unpunished. Perhaps I deserve what's happening to me…._

The door slid open and the tall slender form of Yuki stood there. She opened her mouth and began to explain. "Y-Yuki-kun! I'm so-"

"Honda -san! You're bleeding!" Yuki interrupted her and pointed at the now blood soaked part of her shirt. "Are you okay? What happened to you?!"

"N-nothing I just…I…" She didn't know what to say.

At the sound of Yuki shouting her name Kyo had come running from the kitchen, followed by Uo and Hana. Yuki turned at the sound of their footsteps. "She's here-"

"Tohru!" Uo cried as she ran up to the girl and shoved the Prince out of the way, pulling her in to a very tight and protective hug. "Tohru! What on earth is going on?! Kyon won't spill about anything he knows!"

Tohru managed to pull her face out of Uo's grasp and looked over to where Kyo and Hana stood. The denpa wave reading girl stood quite calm, as she always did, with a hint of worry on her face. Kyo, however, looked at a loss for words. Tohru gently pulled away from Uo and gave her a weak smile.

"Uo-chan, I need to tell all of you something." She slowly walked inside and past by Hana and Kyo without acknowledging either. The four confused people followed Tohru into the kitchen as she took a seat at the table. Each one glanced at the other and then cautiously seated themselves around the table as well.

"What's going on, Tohru-kun?" Hana asked in her calm demeanor. "Should we call a doctor before you start?"

"Oh!" Yuki exclaimed as he quickly got to his feet. "The cut! Honda-san, I will call Hatori!" Yuki shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"N-no Yuki-kun!" Tohru said in fear. "It's not that bad, we have enough supplies here, and I can bandage it up myself!"

Kyo stood up suddenly. "I'll get something …. For the cut." He walked out of the kitchen quickly and could be heard rummaging through some drawers in another room.

Uo turned to Tohru. "Are you gonna tell us what's happening? Or am I gonna have to kick Orangey's ass and make _him_ say!?"

"I wouldn't tell you either way!" Kyo yelled as he came back in to the room and sat down with an arm load of bandages, a peroxide bottle, cotton balls, tape, and a large white towel. He set everything on the table except for the peroxide, which he opened and began to soak a large cotton ball.

Yuki sat down again, still holding his cell phone in his hand. He still thought Hatori should be called, but with everything that had happened at the main house, he was not sure if Hatori would even be able to get away from Akito. _Maybe we should take her to a nearby emergency room. _He thought, but knew that if the idea were voiced Tohru would only decline and say that it was no big deal.

"Here," Kyo had sat down to her left, and now scooted himself over so he could doctor the wound. "You need to lift your shirt." He held up the now peroxide soaked cotton ball so Tohru could see.

"What was that, Kyon?!" Uo yelled angrily with the urge to punch him. "You want her to lift her shirt!!" She held up her fist in a threatening manner.

"EH?!" Tohru exclaimed in panic as her friend grabbed Kyo by the scruff.

"W-what? Not like that!" Kyo yelled, pulling himself away from the angry blonde. "I need to clean the cut, moron!"

"Those better be your only intentions," Hanajima suddenly spoke up in her misty voice. "Or it may be the last thing you every do."

Kyo ignored the two and turned back to Tohru. She looked up at him with her large, brown and worried eyes, with small pink patches forming on her cheeks. "Come on," He said, trying to shake the annoying fluttering in his stomach. "I need to clean it."

Tohru blinked once before she looked down at the table surface and began to roll up the side of her shirt. She looked at the cut and seen that she had been right, it was not that deep.

"Tell me if it hurts." Kyo said, as he gently began to rub the cotton ball over the wound.

Tohru flinched, feeling self-conscious and exposed. When Hatori did this, it was completely different. A doctor is a doctor, no matter how handsome they are. But Kyo? Kyo is most certainly not a doctor. Her face became redder with each silent passing second.

"Stop!" Uo yelled suddenly.

"What, Yankee?" Kyo said irritably as he stopped and turned to look at her. "I'm just cleaning it!"

Uo sighed and moved over to Tohru's other side. "I can't stand watching some guy touch her like this." She grabbed the cotton ball out of Kyo's hand and began to clean the cut herself.

Kyo shrugged. No use arguing with Uotani. "Whatever." He said, before turning away and becoming interested in a spot on the floor.

"Honda-san." Yuki spoke, relieved that Uo had taken over the doctoring for now. "Will you now tell us what's going on?"

Tohru scrunched up her face in thought, debating whether telling everyone the truth was truly what she wanted. She looked at Kyo, hoping he may tell them to stop patronizing her about the truth. When he did not return her gaze, she looked from each curious face to the next, determined to not be pushed in to revealing her deepest secrets.

"I-I don't feel like talking about it." She stated firmly. Seeing everyone's disappointed expressions, she quickly added. "Not right _now_, that is."

Each face returned to its indifferent expression, except Kyo, who had turned away and looked as though he had no intention to turn back around.

Tohru felt a wave of relief, and knew that the next day she could do the much needed explaining, whether it was the full truth or not.

_Mom, forgive me,_ _but there's no way I can truly come clean yet. _

"Hold on," Uo spoke looking at the girl she was nursing. "Tohru, does this have…"

Tohru looked at her friend anxiously. "Does this have what, Uo-chan?"

Uo looked at Hanajima, then turned back to Tohru.

"Does this have anything to do with…. Xavier?"

* * *

**A/N: **Wow okay that was a longer one. This one had like one big moment, and a lot of talking. I know the memory is long, but it's supposed to be to reestablish the fact that, despite all the lies, there is still strong trust between the two. Tohru hates lying, and that's true in here. But anyone with a secret so important may do anything to keep it. Look in the series; she hid the truth from Uo and Hana about the Sohmas! Anyways, I will post another soon. Now, do me a favor and follow this formula:

**CHAPTERS + REVIEWS equals HAPPY AND ENCOURAGED AUTHOR, HAPPY AND ENCOURAGED AUTHOR + IDEAS equals ****MORE CHAPTERS****. **Think of the end product! Besides, I wanted to know what everyone reading this really thinks. I want some ideas and suggestions too, so please send me reviews with your ideas and suggestions of what you may like to see happen! Thanks again for reading!!


	9. Ulterior Motives?

**A/N: **Thank you it makes me so happy to hear your positive feedback! And to answer **Vikertee's **question, it is pronounced X-a-vier. The X-men way. After I read the review I thought about the other way, but anytime I think about the name it comes out the X-men way, thus X-men way! And **Ryuu13 **you guessed right, that is the dead guy's name. **Kyki-The Late Night Writer**, they are evil people who do evil things! **hrtsakura** they must be present for the story to continue! **Just to make sure **everyone's still hanging on, things are going to get complicated fast. There will be flashbacks, memories, thoughts, self-confessions, and other stuff that may seem strange. But, never fear, nothing in this fic will go unanswered! It's always, **always **bothered me when I'm watching a movie, show, or reading a book or something and things are left unanswered when they seemed important the first time they were mentioned. But! I am not perfect so a couple slips are forgivable, right?

Enough babbling, on to the chapter! Ride Destiny!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Ulterior Motives?**

"….do with Xavier?"

"_Tohru, this is my new friend, Xavier, he needs to use the phone."_

_The young girl of eight years looked up at the man in curiosity. He was rather tall, very tan, and had the brightest green eyes she had ever seen. His hair was black and slicked back, and he wore a black suit that made him appear like a very professional business man. _

"_Isn't she cute?" _

_The girl's wide eyes shifted over to her smiling mother, who was now holding the receiver in her hand and motioning for the man to take it. Realizing she must seem rude, Tohru bowed low and followed with an introduction._

"_Uh-um I'm Tohru Honda, I'm eight years old. It's a pleasure to meet you Xavier-san!" She squeaked with her eyes glued to Xavier's shoes, which were rather nice by the way. _

"_Hello, Tohru-chan." He spoke in a low monotone._

_Tohru looked up to see him bowing to her in return. She was rather shocked to be bowed to by an adult that she began to panic. "WHA? I-uh uh um I-"_

"_You sure are cute." Xavier cut her off and turned to the smiling Kyoko. "I don't think 'cute' does her justice. How about 'very adorable'? Like a doll?"_

"_Ah! You're right!" Kyoko chimed and handed him the phone. "My little Tohru looks just like a doll Xavier…"_

"_Xavier…"_

"…do with Xavier? Hello, Tohru? Listening?"

Tohru snapped out of her memory and looked at her speaking friend. Uo looked worried as she sat holding the bloody cotton ball beside her.

"Y-yes, Uo-chan?" Tohru asked trying to pretend she did not hear what the girl had asked.

"Tohru-kun, does this have anything to do with Xavier?" Hanajima restated Uo's question. She looked at the nervous brunette with expecting eyes.

Tohru's expected panic reaction dominated her face and her eyes and mouth widened considerably. "Wha?? No, no! Why would it have anything to do with-?"

"Whoa, calm down Tohru." Uo grabbed her shoulders making her stay still. "We were just asking because that guy was an ass."

"O-oh… right." Tohru told herself, feeling ridiculous for panicking now. She looked over at Kyo who had finally turned around and watched her cautiously. She felt he might ambush her if she did not come clean about the truth, since he had found all the evidence in the box.

Without warning Kyo stood up and stomped all the way out of the room. Yuki shook his head in disapproval as the stomping continued all the way up the stairs.

"My, my, what is wrong with him?" Hana asked, placing a questioning hand on Yuki's shoulder. "He has not stomped away from us in months."

"Who cares?" Uo said as she began to wrap up Tohru's cut. "Damn guy needs to chill."

"Honda-san," Yuki began as Hana removed her hand from his shoulder. "When the mess at the main house clears up, I will make sure Hatori takes a look at your wound." He smiled at her warmly.

Tohru nodded, knowing that it was for the best so no infection may occur.

_Why will she not say anything? _Yuki asked himself, thinking about what he had seen the day before when he had gone out to look for Tohru. The stupid Cat had called, frantic about finding her, so he had set out and was walking down a deserted street when he seen the strange scene….

_Yuki walked silently down the sidewalk, close to a rather small convenience store. He had now been looking around for what he could assume may be the better part of an hour. He had no watch so could not see the time. _

_He kept walking and was now passing a store window that had watches on display. Thinking he should get one, he opened the door and made to walk in, but then something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. _

_He turned his head to see the black limousine he had seen on Friday parked in front of the building where Tohru worked. He stepped away from the door and watched it park, then a man opened the back door and stepped out. Yuki could see that the man looked like he could be related to the woman he had seen. He watched the man begin to walk briskly across the street, his eyes glued on…_

"_Kyo?" Yuki asked himself as he noticed his orange haired cousin the target of this man. He watched the man walk up to him and Kyo turn, then he seen the man punch Kyo in the stomach. _

"_What the hell?" Yuki asked himself in shock. He wondered if he should go and stop this man from abusing Kyo, but couldn't get himself to move. He stood and kept his eyes on the two as the man placed his hands on Kyo's shoulders and looked like he was done with the violence. He decided to just monitor the scene in case anything serious happened so that he could step in to save his stupid cousin, for Tohru's sake. In the back of his mind he knew that she would fall apart even more than she already was if anything happened to that stupid Cat. _

_The man only stood with Kyo for a few more minutes, then shook his hand in a friendly way and walked off as though nothing happened. Yuki watched Kyo begin to walk in the opposite direction. _

_Not sure of what to do or where that stupid Kyo was going, he decided he should continue his search for Tohru. He turned as the man got back in to the limousine, and the long black vehicle drove by him. He wanted to look back and make sure that idiot Cat did not do anything stupid, but he couldn't bring himself to and so continued on walking away quickly. _

"Prince, yoo hoo, Prince Charming?"

Yuki snapped out of his memory and looked at the question filled face of Uotani.

"You alright Prince?" Uo asked in her laidback manner.

"Yes, I'm fine." Yuki answered, satisfying her with his words and she turned back to Tohru and began to chat with her.

He had definitely been wondering about what he had seen, but knew better than to bring it to the attention of the Cat. He had already crushed his pride by defeating him in marital arts constantly, what was the point of bringing up something that he would personally find embarrassing if it had happened to him? The result would probably be something along the lines of _"None of your damn business!" _Or "_Shut the hell up, damn Rat!" _followed by some breaking of the house and stomping.

"Yuki-kun, are you hungry?"

Tohru's voice caught his attention and he looked at her content expression. It was clearly a face to hide what was going on, but he couldn't help admire her strength, considering the events of the night. He nodded to her, feeling his stomach quite empty and in much need of some sort of meal.

* * *

"This is ridiculous, I want to go home."

The next morning Shigure sat awake beside Akito, who had been quite satisfied with her work the night before. After Akito had challenged the zodiac to question her accusation, she had excused them all with the promise of punishing the 'sinful Tohru Honda'. Shigure had been the only one who was forced to stay by her side the entire night and listen to her crazy thoughts and schemes of torturing the poor innocent girl.

"Ridiculous?" Akito repeated as she sat up from her bed, where the two had slept and talked. "You think staying by me is _ridiculous_?" She asked warningly.

Shigure nodded, very unafraid of the woman and rather tired of listening to her complaining. "I miss my bed, and I'm very hungry." He explained himself. "And I think you are blowing this whole thing out of proportion, Tohru-kun would never harm anyone."

Akito stared at him blankly, inwardly cursing the girl's name. "She is a murderer." She stated simply. "The people I spoke with gave me _very_ convincing evidence and a fitting story."

"Really?" Shigure challenged her. "If this evidence was so convincing, then why did you allow her to leave? She's most likely returned home."

Akito shook her head and placed a clenched fist on his shoulder. "Because, there was a reason behind the murder, and I don't believe she would hurt any of _my_ juunishi."

Shigure cocked an eyebrow at her, further questioning her knowledge. "And what story is this?"

Akito looked around; making sure Kureno was no where in sight. Once she was satisfied there were no listeners, she began.

"I was told the man she killed was her mother's old boyfriend…."

* * *

"You still want to go to school?"

The group of five stood in the kitchen of Shigure's home, trying to eat their breakfast the best they could. Uo and Hana had spent the night with Tohru, preventing Kyo from questioning and pushing the truth. Uo and Hana were not ready for school, and had assumed that going was out of the question since they had not heard the story yet. Tohru and Yuki had gotten ready, being keener on getting back to normal activities. Kyo had made a failed attempt to talk to Tohru when they were the only two awake, but she had shook him off and locked herself in the bathroom until one of her friends stirred and rescued her.

Kyo looked at Tohru in confusion, agreeing with Hana and Uo about not attending school and not ready himself. He was standing near the counter, trying to help Tohru pick up the breakfast mess. "Don't you want to rest today?" He asked.

Tohru looked away as she stood at the sink, scrubbing some dishes to relieve her tension. "I can't miss anymore school." She said quietly, causing Kyo to lean down toward her.

"Why are you talking so quiet?" Kyo asked, looking over his shoulder quickly at the other three. They were engaged in conversation and finishing their breakfast, completely out of ear shot and not paying attention.

"I'm not." Tohru said regaining her normal speaking level. "You should get ready too, Kyo-kun." She tried to act as normal as possible. "You've missed _two days _of school."

"But…" He knew she was right, and his grades were in danger of slipping. He still ached for the whole truth, but feared she may lie to him again. "Hey," He said as he leaned down further until he was right by her ear. "Can we talk later? When we get home?" He whispered.

Tohru shivered as his breath tickled her ear. She felt herself blush and she scrubbed a very clean plate with more pressure. "Uh-um… o-okay." She agreed in nervous stutters.

"You promise?" He pressed on, still whispering in case the Yankee or Psychic may hear anything.

"Y-yes!" She exclaimed as a chill ran through her spine. She turned her head and took a step away, trying to distance herself from him. "I promise."

"Hey!" Uo yelled, finally noticing the way Kyo was leaning toward her. "Get off her back Orangey; she'll spill when she's ready!"

Kyo backed off immediately and all but ran to the doorway. "Shut up, damn Yankee!" He was heard stomping up the stairs, a repeat from the night before.

Hana walked over to Tohru's side as she finished her breakfast and placed her plate in the sink. "Are you alright, Tohru-kun? I can have Megumi curse him if you'd like." She suggested calmly.

"N-no! It's okay, everything's fine!" Tohru smiled happily at her friend. "I'm more worried about Shigure-san, since he did not return home… it seems." She said turning around and looking at Yuki.

"Its okay, Honda-san." Yuki assured her. "I'm sure the Head of the Family requested his company for the whole night."

"That writer is such an idiot. " Uo stated bluntly. "He always looks so damn happy, it's annoying!"

"Shigure-san is very intelligent!" Tohru stood up for the not present Dog. "He is rather strangely happy, but I know he's a-"

"Idiot." Yuki finished. "We should go to school, we're already running late."

* * *

"Manabe-san, where is Sohma-san?"

Catalyna Lorenzo stood peering in to the student council room, where she thought she could find Yuki to have more pleasant conversation. Kakeru was the only occupant of the room, and he had already been introduced to her the day before by a reluctant Yuki.

"Oh, you mean Yun-Yun?" He asked as he abandoned some papers he had been shuffling through and walked over to her. "He's not here yet."

Catalyna blinked and looked outside in the crowded hall. "Is he usually late?" She asked.

Kakeru scratched the back of his head and looked like he was in deep thought. "No. but technically he's not late, class has not begun yet." He raised his eyebrows mischievously at her. "Did you _join_ the Prince Yuki fan club or something?"

"Wha?!" Catalyna exclaimed as a panicked expression took over her face. "No, I was just hoping to become more familiar with the school!" She said rather fast. "I'm still confused as to where everything is!"

Kakeru folded his arms and leaned against the door frame. "I can show you around some, what are you confused about?"

"Uh, I can't seem to remember how to get to my-"

"Machi!" Kakeru suddenly yelled as he looked over Catalyna's shoulder. "You're here!"

Catalyna turned to see Machi waiting patiently to enter the student council room. She had met her too the other day, after she had asked the President to show her around some. Getting the hint she leaped out of the way.

"I'm sorry!" Catalyna began to apologize frantically. "How long were you standing there, Kuragi-san?!"

"Not too long." Machi answered in her sad voice. "Thank you for allowing me to enter." She passed Kakeru and walked in to the room.

"Yo Machi, do you know where Yun-Yun is?" Kakeru turned around and asked her. "This one's looking for him." He pointed his thumb in Catalyna's direction.

"Oh, I thought _you _were going-"

"The President is on his way here," Machi cut off Catalyna. "Along with Honda-san, the Orange Haired, Uotani-san, and Hanajima-san." Machi named each person. "They all look rather troubled."

"Oh! Yun-Yun's coming!" Kakeru exclaimed excitedly. "Sorry Lorenzo, I kind of have stuff to do. Since he's here he'll show you, he's too nice to turn anyone away." Kakeru turned around and walked back in to the room.

Catalyna set off in search of Yuki after being pointed in the right direction by Machi. _This school is so big. _She thought. _All the American Public Schools were a lot smaller, and easier to get in to. _She made her way down a flight of stairs and continued down a hall way. _I need to make some friends… _Lost in her thoughts she turned the corner quickly without watching where she was going.

_WHAM!!_

"Ah!" Catalyna stumbled backwards and fell to the floor. She had collided with another person and held her head in pain. She heard the voice of Yuki frantically begin to speak.

"Honda-san! Are you okay?"

Catalyna looked up to see Yuki and a group of people. A tall blonde girl who she had not seen before caught the brunette girl she had collided with from behind.

"Tohru! You need to watch where you're going!" Uo scolded Tohru.

"AH!" Tohru suddenly realized the girl was on the floor. "Are you okay?! I'm so sorry!"

"You're such a doofus." Kyo added to Tohru's absent minded behavior as he looked at the girl still on the floor questioningly. _Haven't seen her before. _He thought. He decided it was rude to leave her on the floor and held out his hand to help her up. "Are you okay?"

Catalyna looked at his hand and took it. "I'm sorry!" She said to the frantic brunette as the Orange haired boy pulled her up. _Good thing I chose the knee length skirt, otherwise these boys would have gotten a whole show…eww. _She thought as she stood and looked at the girl again.

Yuki turned hearing Catalyna's voice and seen it was her who Tohru had collided with. "Ah! Lorenzo-san!" He took a step toward her.

"Thanks." Catalyna thanked Kyo from helping her up and looked to Yuki. "I was looking for you!" She began to explain frantically. "I wasn't paying attention and I did not realize she was there and I'm sorry is this girl you're friend?!" She bowed to everyone politely.

"Wow, how strange." Hanajima spoke from behind Yuki.

"Hi!" Tohru chimed suddenly and bowed in return. "I'm Tohru Honda! Are you a friend of Yuki-kun's?"

"Oh," Yuki spared Catalyna of introducing herself. "This is Catalyna Lorenzo, she's new and she started here yesterday." He placed a hand on her shoulder, and then turned to introduce everyone else to her. "Lorenzo-san, this is Saki Hanajima, Arisa Uotani, my cousin Kyo Sohma, and the girl I was telling you about, Tohru Honda."

"Oh!" Catalyna nodded quickly in comprehension. "Nice to meet all of you! And you Honda-san, the President said you are a very sweet girl!" She said very fast.

Tohru blushed at being called sweet. "Oh, not at all! I'm no sweeter than anyone else!" She said nervously.

"Yeah right, Tohru." Uo said as she studied the new girl. "So you're new huh?"

Catalyna nodded and smiled. "Yes, I moved here from America!"

"How delightful." Hana said as she moved forward and placed a welcoming hand on Catalyna's shoulder. "Your waves feel positive, but worried too."

"Waves?" Catalyna asked in confusion.

"Hanajima-san can feel and read Denpa Waves." Yuki explained to her. "It's like people's mood-"

"Oh!" Catalyna said with a look of amazement. "I've heard of those! Wow, is it strange?" She asked as she looked at Hanajima like she was the most interesting thing she's ever seen.

"You know if we stand here all day," Kyo began as he walked past Hanajima. "We're going to be late." He continued to walk away, leaving the group behind and very confused.

"Uh, Kyo-kun…?" Tohru began. She then looked at Catalyna and seen a small red mark on her forehead. "AH!"

Catalyna grew wide eyed at the panicked girl. "Wha-?"

"You're head! Lorenzo-san when we crashed! You're head is hurt!" Tohru grabbed the girl by the arm and began to pull her toward a nearby bathroom. "We have to heal it!"

"Uh, Honda-san?" Yuki began, trying to save Catalyna from being doctored by Tohru. "I think she's fine, unless it hurts."

"N-no, it's fine!" Catalyna told Tohru and she stopped pulling her toward the bathroom. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" Tohru smiled happily. "Today we've made a new friend!"

"Yeah, now what should we call you?" Uo came up behind Tohru and looked at Catalyna in thought. "When we met Hanajima, we decided on Hana-chan."

Yuki watched as the girls tried to figure out what to call Catalyna. He wondered if Tohru was relieved from this sudden event. This new girl certainly took _his_ mind off of what was going on. He looked around as the hall began to empty and students began to pile in to class rooms.

"Cata-chan? Lyna-chan?" Uo suggested.

"Perhaps Catalyna-chan?" Tohru said smiling.

Hana looked at the confused girl. "Lorenzo-kun?"

"But I thought you had to be well acquainted with someone to call them anything other than …something-san… ? I'm confused…" Catalyna looked at the three girls' in confusion.

"Who cares?" Uo said. "Who follows the rules?"

"Ah!" Tohru exclaimed as she noticed the now empty hallway. "We should go to class!"

"Oh!" Catalyna exclaimed in agreement. "We're late!"

Yuki shrugged. _I don't feel like being in class today…._

"Damn school." Uo complained. "Told you we should have stayed home!"

The four headed off in different directions, then Tohru turned to say goodbye to their new friend. "Bye Lyna-kun! We will see you at lunchtime!" She blinked as Catalyna turned around and waved also. "That's it! Lyna-kun!"

Catalyna smiled. "Thank you, I'll see you at lunch!"

Each person disappeared around a corner, leaving the hallway completely deserted. The boy's bathroom door opened and out stepped a man in a black suit. Angelo looked in the direction where Catalyna had just been.

"Damn girl, always ruining my job…" He grumbled to himself. He looked around and then set off down the hallway, ready to share the news of this girl's arrival with his waiting cousin Vanessa.

As soon as the coast was clear, Catalyna poked her head out from behind a corner. Her face held a worried expression as she looked at the spot where the man had previously been. Her eyes suddenly grew wide and she gasped, and then disappeared headed off to her class.

* * *

"That girl is so frantic."

Kyo stood in the living room after school watching Tohru sit peacefully at the middle table working on homework. Yuki had stayed after like he usually did for council business. Hana and Uo had made Tohru promise to meet them that night and tell them the whole truth, only letting her walk away after Uo threatened Kyo to make sure that she did not run off. So now the two were alone, except for the surprising presence of Shigure, who had been allowed to return home. But the Dog was now in his room writing, and Kyo had awkwardly tried to start the conversation that she had promised to give.

"Huh?" Tohru looked up from her homework at the hopeful eyes of Kyo. He was standing a little ways away, looking as though he was waiting for permission to sit with her. "Who are you talking about?"

"That new girl, Catalyna." Kyo walked over cautiously, and then bravely took a seat next to her. "She's pretty frantic like you."

Tohru looked confused. "Frantic? I'm frantic?"

Kyo shook his head. "Never mind, I meant she seems _okay_." He had only brought up the girl to break the awkward ice that had seemed to become a barrier between the two. He watched her as she returned to doing her homework without another word on the girl. "Are you going to-?"

"Tell you?" Tohru cut him off and finished his sentence. "I promised I would, so yes." She looked up from her work and placed her pencil on top of the unfinished worksheet. She looked out of the window, wondering where she should begin, and how much she should actually _tell_ him. _If I tell him everything, then I could…. Lose him. _That thought caused her heart to pain in a strange way; she definitely could not stand losing him because of her past.

Kyo watched her and waited, knowing that if he pushed her she may just recoil and not say anything. She tensed up suddenly, and the urge to hold her erupted in him. He eyed her hand on the table surface; settling for less than a hug he reached out and placed his hand over hers in a comforting manner. She turned to him with wide eyes and tears began to leak out of the corners. _Aw, crap, did I do something wrong?!_ He began to panic until she sighed.

"Kyo-kun, he was my mother's boyfriend." She began slowly. She turned her head away from him and looked out of the window again, zoning out as to try to avoid emotional outbursts as she told him some of the story.

"Xavier-san was wonderful …..in the _beginning_…."

* * *

"You're friends are really kind!"

Catalyna and Yuki were leaving the school together. She had basically tailed him during his rounds in order to learn more about the school. He did not mind, though, because she had almost fell on every corner they would turn and laugh about it calling herself a 'clumsy ass'. They walked out of the school entrance and made their way down the sidewalk leading away from the campus.

"You really think so?" He asked uncertainly. "Even Kyo? He has an anger problem, if you didn't notice."

Catalyna looked up at him questioningly. "Are you sure? He was kind enough to help me off the floor! And at lunch he asked me a little about where I'm from!" She smiled happily, and then her expression quickly changed to one of deep embarrassment. "I was so stupid I walked right in to Honda-san!"

Yuki smiled at her, feeling more and more like he had met another genuine person. "It's okay; she was not watching where she was going either. She tends to run in to things too."

"I noticed she was all cut up," Catalyna looked at him for an explanation. "Is she okay? Is it from falling somewhere?"

Yuki wondered for a moment, realizing that he still had no clue what was really going on. He had decided to ask Kyo (with extreme caution) what happened with that man who had punched him. Tohru still had not told anyone what happened to her and how she ended up with scratches and a semi-deep cut.

"Sohma-san? Are you okay?"

He shook his head and looked at her. "Yeah, it's just that she's had a little trouble lately. Nothing to worry about really." He lied to her and to himself.

"Are you sure?" She asked without sounding too pushy. "I know there are some things people don't like to talk about, but I try to talk about _everything!_" She waved her arms to emphasize her point. "It makes me feel better!"

"Well, the thing is," He tried to begin. "She has some kind of serious problem, but I don't know what it is."

"Have you asked her?" She asked.

"I've tried, but she kind of changes the subject…" He trailed off not sure how to explain what he meant. _Wait, why am I telling her this? I don't even know her that well; I can't tell her my personal life! _He mentally scolded himself for being too open. _But she seems like she would understand. _He tried to rationalize his choice to converse.

"Maybe you should let _her_ come to _you_." She pointed out the option. "Some people need to be left to decide when they're ready."

"Yeah…" He remembered Haru had said something pretty similar, but he had not thought about it too much.

_BEE BEE BEEP, BEE BEE BEEP, BEE BEEP._

"Oh, my phone." She pulled her phone out of a shirt pocket and answered it. "Hello?"

"_Dear Catalyna, whatever are you doing?" _A female voice spoke on the other line.

"Hi, Auntie."Catalyna responded sneaking a nervous glance at Yuki.

"_Auntie? Is that your story about us? How clever, you are your father's daughter." _The female voice spoke in mock amazement. _"I want you home now; abandon your task and com immediately." _

"But, Auntie. I'm having fun." She glanced at Yuki again and he simply smiled. "Do I have to come home?"

"_Hm, if I was the boy, I'd believe you too. You sound so convincing." _

"Heh heh, I'll be home soon. Bye." She closed her phone and placed it back in her pocket.

"Is something wrong?" Yuki asked politely. "You need to go home fast?"

"Uh yeah, I guess my Auntie's having trouble with the DVD player." She lied to the Prince. "She kind of lives in the past still, you know, video cassettes"

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow at school. You will eat with us again won't you?" Yuki asked hopefully, already feeling the guilt if she was forced to eat alone.

"Yeah, sure." She smiled nervously then turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction. "Bye." She turned and waved, then set off at a fast pace.

Yuki waved, wondering something that he had just noticed. _Didn't she walk another way yesterday? _He looked around and discovered they had wandered off the normal way home. _Oh, now I feel stupid. She probably realized it before me. _He looked to his side at the store he was passing and seen it was the one with watches that he had intended to go in to before. He looked around, making sure there were no distractions this time. When he was satisfied with the surroundings of the street he opened the swinging door and stepped in.

"Whoa." He looked around in shock. The store was not extravagant at all, but had to hold about two thousand watches in all. The store itself was only about as big as the kitchen at home, with plain white walls and a clashing brown carpet. Many shelves lines the walls holding the largest variety he had ever seen. A man was at the counter, not acknowledging his entrance; other than him the store was empty.

He wandered over to a shelf to his right, eyeing a very attractive silver watch. He studied the texture rather close and did not turn around upon the sound of the door opening to allow in another customer. He did turn however; when the man at the counter eyed the new comer in fear and scurried away quickly in to some back room.

"Hello, Prince Yuki Sohma."

Yuki turned to the person as a low female voice spoke behind him. It was the angry looking Latin woman he had seen twice. At a distance she had looked like she would be much taller, but at such a short distance he felt stupid because she was about as tall as Hanajima. His senses kicked in as he looked at her and asked. "Who are you?"

"Who, indeed." She walked over and began to examine a watch close to the one he had found intriguing. "We have seen each other twice now, Yuki. May I call you that?" She smiled sadistically. "My concern is with the girl called Tohru Honda. Did you see the present I left her? Quite a nasty cut, don't you think?"

"Y-you did that?" Yuki stuttered, a fear of what this woman was capable of rising inside him. "Why did you-"

"Did Akito Sohma-san not inform you of that Tohru's _sweet _secret?" She cut him off, taking the watch she was examining and trying it on. "The way she brutally murdered that poor innocent man, leaving him to die with no comfort or last respects!"

_CRASH!_

Yuki took a step back as the woman threw the watches case across the room, breaking a large glass case on the other side.

"SHE KILLED HIM!" She turned to the Prince, her eyes flashing in anger. "And if you don't believe it, then you are mistaken!"

Yuki thought of running out of the store, but knew that if he stayed put long enough he may be able to find out the truth of what was going on.

"And you know what else?" The woman continued with an expression that seemed like she was exercising self control. "You shouldn't always trust people who seem….trustworthy. You never know who's _back stabbing_ you."

Yuki did not speak as she walked past him, stopping behind him and saying one last thing.

"Careful with her Prince, I seen the body, and she claimed to have _cared_ about _him_."

Yuki turned and watched her walk out of the store, a model like stance that gave off an air of over whelming self confidence. He noticed she had just taken the watch without paying. After being sure that she would not return, he slipped out of the store quietly, as to not be blamed for the mess the woman had made.

_She said she seen the body, but how do I know that she's telling the truth? _Yuki set off in his thoughts down the street toward home. He could not believe that these things were happening, how had this all started? He knew Tohru was at home with Kyo, maybe she could have told him the truth by now. But even if she did tell him, he would not find out unless one of them told him, and he knew he could not count on Kyo for that. He knew Tohru was dead set on keeping her secret, and his heart began to pain as a feeling rose in him. A feeling of … uncertainty. The thought came to him and the confirming feeling hit him like a bullet.

_She's always been so honest, why would she lie? I can always depend on her being there, carrying the most motherly feeling of trust there is …_

……_right?_

* * *

**A/N: **The plot line thickens!! Yuki's thoughts have roamed to questioning her! Catalyna (or Lyna-kun) now has a purpose, and I hope everyone can decode that. The chapters are getting longer as more events are taking place, but my ideas are starting to fade my lack of encouragement …. tear but maybe some feedback with suggestions will jog my memory! Ha ha I'm half joking, so I'm half serious.


	10. Absolutely Nothing

**A/N: **Ah! You are in luck, I found my idea! They were running but I caught one hiding behind my….couch! Anyways, never fear readers! Kyoru is not dead! Mushy mushy lovey dovey! They are going through a rough patch right now, you know with the whole murder and all. Catalyna is a good person to be well aware of, as the last chapter revealed. So now, here it is! Ride Destiny!!

* * *

**Chapter 10: Absolutely Nothing**

"Damn, stupid customer."

Arisa Uotani stood outside of the family restaurant she had been working at for a while. Her shift had been ruined from her thoughts being occupied by Tohru's secretive behavior. She had accidentally given a child regular milk when he asked for chocolate; she gave a vegetarian a huge piece of pork, and broke six plates over the course of her four hour shift. Angrily (but not fired) she had stomped out, but had been told off by an unsatisfied customer.

_Whatever. _Uo thought to herself as she set off down the street for home. She had gone to work straight away after school, but since the days were approaching winter the sun had already almost disappeared behind the horizon. She was definitely very tired and ready to call it quits, but had far too much push left in her to crumble from being tired. _She better spill tonight, or I really WILL beat that Kyon 'till he tells us! _She shivered at the crisp air. _I should have brought a sweater. _

She turned a corner leading toward her apartment when the sight of a girl with long curly black hair walking up ahead of her caught her eye. _Isn't that the new girl…?_ She thought. Deciding she could give it a try, she tried to get her attention.

"Hey! You up there!"

The girl turned and sure enough it was her. Uo watched a smile spread across her face as she stopped and waved happily. She was wearing a knee length red plaid skirt and a white zip up sweater with a hood. Uo caught up to her quickly, feeling stupid in her work uniform and her heels that were required at the restaurant. Uo looked down and seen the girl was wearing some white flats. _Aren't those popular in America? _She asked herself.

"Hi, Uotani-san. What are you doing out?" Catalyna asked smiling.

"I was just working." She said exhausted. "Nice shoes, by the way." She pointed at her feet.

"Oh, thank you." Catalyna looked down at Uo's feet. "I love heels, they are very lady like!"

Uo nodded with a disgusted look. "I hate them, they hurt." She winced as she moved her foot a bit. "So, what about you? What are you doing out?" She seen the girl was carrying a black over the shoulder purse. "Going somewhere?"

"Oh, no I was just looking around." She sighed and looked up and down the street. "I don't know my way around too well yet." She turned and pointed to some apartments. "I was actually just heading home; I live over there with my Auntie."

Uo dropped her jaw as she seen that Catalyna was pointing to the same apartment building _she _had been living in for the past five years. "I live there! When did you get here?" Uo asked excitedly.

"Well, I moved in in the middle of last week." Catalyna explained as she began to smile wide. "It was night, so you probably didn't see us."

"That is so cool!" Uo grabbed her forearm and started pulling the girl toward the apartment building. "What did we decide? Oh, Lyna-kun!" She nodded as she remembered the nickname. "You have to come and sit with me while I get ready to go see my friend!'

"Uh, oh okay!" Catalyna agreed as she followed the blonde. "Who are you going to see?"

"Tohru and Hanajima." Uo said as she let go of the girl's arm. "We're supposed to meet at seven."

Catalyna pulled her phone out as it vibrated in her pocket. She flipped it open to find a text message:

_Are you doing your job?_

She closed the phone and put it back in her pocket. She stepped up to Uo's side as the two crossed the street together.

"They seem nice." Catalyna told her with a smile. "I would really like to get to know them!"

* * *

"_Xavier-san, do you love my Mom?' _

_Xavier looked at the smiling eleven year old Tohru, standing next to him as he prepared a delicious dinner for the three of them in their kitchen. He smiled at her and answered with very honest eyes. _

"_Of course, Tohru-chan." He patted the top of her head affectionately. "She's the most wonderful woman I've ever met." _

_Tohru smiled and laughed. "She is wonderful!" _

_The young Tohru believed this man; there was no reason to doubt him. From the moment he walked in to their lives when she was eight, he had been a great delight. _

"_Tohru, I'm home!" The voice of Kyoko rang out from the front door. "I smell something nice!' _

_Tohru ran out of the kitchen and over to her mother. "Mom! How was work, was it okay?"_

_Kyoko sighed with a look of great exhaustion. "Yes, it was okay. Where's Xavier, is he here?" _

_Tohru nodded and pointed to the kitchen. "Yes, he's here and he's making dinner for us." She smiled at the man's generous gesture. "It smells delicious!" _

_She watched her mom smile and walk in to the kitchen. _

"_Hi, you're so sweet!" _

_She listened as the two began to converse and decided to not disturb them. She walked over to the living room couch and seated herself comfortably to wait patiently for dinner. She looked to her side and seen the suit jacket of Xavier placed neatly on the couch cushion. _

"_Oh," She said as a thought dawned on her. "I should hang it up so it won't get wrinkled." She carefully grabbed the jacket and walked over to their coat closet. She opened it and pulled down a hanger, and swung it over the hooks neatly. "There." She said as she put it on the pole to hang. As it swung for a moment a stick like thing fell out of the pocket and Tohru bent down to pick it up. _

_It was a syringe with an orange top covering the needle. She looked at it carefully, wondering what Xavier would need a syringe for. Realizing it was rude to snoop in his private things, she put the syringe back in the pocket it had fallen from and closed the closet, making a mental note to look up syringes in the school library. _

_The next day at school she had sat and read a book about medical equipment in her school's library. She had discovered that besides inserting medication, people used them personally to insert insulin for Diabetes. But worse than diabetes, she had read on to discover that they were wrongly used to inject a drug called Heroine in to the blood system. _

"_Maybe he's diabetic." Tohru said to herself as she walked home. She could not think that he would be a drug user, even if they had only known him for about three years. He was always kind, understanding, sweet, and generous. She even over heard her mother telling a friend on the phone that he was as sweet as her father had been. _

_As the girl walked on she looked around and noticed the vehicle of Xavier parked on the side of a convenience store. She wondered if it was really his, until she seen him come out of the alleyway behind the convenience store, accompanied by a thin, bald, short and spectacled man. She looked around, deciding to watch the suspicious behavior, and realized she had been close to an apartment building. She ran into the parking lot and hid behind a random blue car, peering over the hood to watch Xavier. _

_At his vehicle she seen him pat the man on the shoulder and look around the surroundings. He patted him again and then without warning…_

"_Oh!" _

_Tohru heard the thin man cry out as Xavier punched him in the gut. She sat in shock and disbelief. Xavier, the man who was so kind to her and her mother, punched somebody! _

_She watched as Xavier ran a tan hand through his slick backed black hair, and then stuck his hand out to the man. The man held his stomach and looked at Xavier with large fearful eyes. Then he cautiously took his hand and shook it with a weak smile. _

_Tohru did not know what to do. She could run home and pretend she never saw anything, or tell her mom and see what she had to say about it, or she could run to the police and let them handle it, and she could even confront him herself, which she did not want to do after seeing such violence. _

_She ducked as she watched him get in his car and drive away, leaving the thin man looking very frightened and in pain. _

_She decided she would tell her mom, and she leaped out from behind the car and ran at break-neck speed out of the parking lot. _

"_He hit him, he hit him!' She thought to herself. _

"_He hit him…. He hit him…"_

"He hit him."

Kyo sat staring at the girl as she told him the story of her first suspicions of the man Xavier. He had sat and listened to her for quite a while, as it took her sometime to say things. They had eventually made it on to the couch, and now sat facing each other; Tohru's homework left on the table.

Tohru sighed as she looked off out of the window at the darkening sky. "I didn't know what to do, it was very unbelievable." She said sadly. She turned to Kyo and seen his eyes were full of wonder.

"Did you tell your mom?" He asked, as she showed no intention of continuing.

She shook her head, causing his eyes to widen in disbelief.

"When I got home, he was already there." Tohru said as tears began to form in her eyes. "He acted normal and just helped me with my homework."

Kyo gazed at her as she began to cry silently. He wanted to hold her in his arms and stroke her hair, and tell her that everything would be alright. He was beginning to understand some things, and one of them was that this man Angelo, as Tohru informed him that he was Xavier's brother, had to be very messed up in the head, or confused about his brother's behavior.

"I'm sorry, Kyo-kun." Tohru apologized as the tears began to fall harder and she looked down. "It's just difficult to tell the whole truth." She buried her face in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Tohru, please don't cry." He reached out and pulled her hands away from her face. "If you want you can stop now." He said reluctantly. He still wanted to know, but if it was going to cause her to cry in pain then he'd rather wait until she was okay with recollecting on her past. "I hate seeing you cry."

"Kyo-kun, I've been so…" She trailed off, knowing she had to tell him a little more. _A little more…_

"You've been sad." Kyo said, placing a comforting hand on hers and scooting closer to her. Her hair had fallen on her face and he lifted his free hand and moved some of it out of her eyes. _She's so helpless and vulnerable… and beautiful. Beautiful? Should I be thinking of her like this at this time? I really shouldn't but…_

Tohru felt her cheeks turn red as he stared at her with a very gentle look in his eyes. The all familiar sensations in her stomach and body began to go wild as she longed to move closer to him. _Kyo-kun, you're so wonderful… _Her thoughts trailed off as his face seemed to be moving closer to hers. She gripped his hand tight and subconsciously leaned toward him, her gaze moving between his eyes and mouth.

Her blushing face encouraged him to continue and he moved even closer. His palms were sweating and he welcomed the fluttering in his stomach as it seemed the moment had finally come.

Her heart was pounding as she internally rejoiced; they were only a few inches apart. She watched his eyes close and his lips part slightly, and she allowed her own lids to slide shut. His hot breath lightly grazed her lips… _Please, let this be it…. _His nose brushed her cheek and only an inch remained between them…

"Tohru-kun!!"

Their eyes snapped open at the voice of the Dog. They looked at each other for a moment until their faces turned a matching shade of beet-red.

"I'm s-sorry! "

"Sorry!!"

The two backed away from each other in embarrassment as they looked anywhere else but at each other. Tohru suddenly leapt off the couch and ran to the kitchen as quickly as she could.

Kyo tried to calm himself, scolding his stupidity in forgetting that the Dog had been in the house. _It was so close! _He told himself. _Just like in the hall at school! _He felt his face still burning from the embarrassment and he quickly brought his hands to his cheeks, trying to cool them down. _Damn, hands are hot too. _He tried to push away the now annoying swooshing sensation in his stomach; it had only been pleasant when she was near him. He heard the water faucet go on in the kitchen and some banging of some pots.

Tohru stood at the stove and set a pot on the burner. Being so wrapped up in telling Kyo about everything she had completely forgotten about dinner! _We almost kissed! He didn't pull or move away! If Shigure-san had not called my name we would have… oh no! I can't be this way with him, I'm not …right for him._

She felt her heart sink at this thought, and so looked at the clock to try and push away the pain. _Six thirty…. Hana-chan and Uo-chan are coming over at seven._

Kyo poked his head in to the kitchen, wondering if he should enter. _I don't think I should… do anything. _He fought off his discouraging thoughts and bravely stepped in to the kitchen.

"Tohru…"

She turned around and her eyes widened. _No! I can't look at him right now! _She ignored the thought and answered him, still standing near the stove. "Yes, Kyo-kun?" She turned around to face him.

He walked over to her, his heart pounding like crazy at what he was about to do. He stood in front of her and brought his hands up and cupped her face in his palms. _No more holding back…_

"Kyo-kun?" She asked in shock, staring up at him in confusion.

_Kiss her idiot! _He ordered himself. He lowered his face toward hers and ignored his discouraging thoughts…

"Tohru-kun?!"

Kyo stopped when he was once again an inch away, the footsteps of the Dog coming toward the kitchen causing his self discipline to fade. _Do something! _He told himself.

Tohru blinked with wide eyes, waiting for him to run off because of the steps of Shigure coming closer. She gasped as he quickly planted a kiss on her cheek and let her go, then he ran out of the kitchen before Shigure could enter.

"Tohru-kun? Did you hear me?" Shigure entered the kitchen to find Tohru staring at the door way with wide eyes and pink patches on her cheeks. "Flower of our home, are you alright?" He teased.

She looked at Shigure and started to panic. "S-Shigure-san! I haven't made anything to eat! I'm so sorry!" Her face turned crimson and she turned around and began to frantically regain her thoughts as to what she was meaning to make in the first place.

Shigure smiled at the girl's frantic and panicky behavior. He had been watching, making footstep sounds in place from behind the door frame. He decided he would begin to tease her.

"So, Tohru-kun," He began as she turned around, her face still red. "Have you ever…. _kissed_ a boy?"

"WHA-?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha." Shigure laughed lightly. He flapped his hand at her in a dismissing manner. "I'm only kidding, Tohru-kun. Of course you haven't."

She watched as he turned around and walked out of the kitchen, still laughing and muttering to himself. She blinked a few times and began to calm down. _I haven't kissed a boy yet… but I would have if…_ She shook her head. _No, I can't think about it! Even if he… kissed my cheek. I am in no position to feel this way… I can't. _

With that thought she turned around back to the stove, deciding on pork stir fried with vegetables and ignoring the single silent tear that slid down her still blushing cheek.

* * *

"I don't know what to think."

Instead of heading home after being "warned" by the woman Yuki had gone and snuck in to the Sohma Estate to see Haru. He filled him and Momiji, who showed up after a while of talking, in on everything that happened after Akito's meeting. Yuki had even told the two about what he had seen between Kyo and the mystery man, to which Haru suggested not to ask about it. Now, the three are still at Haru's house in his room, sitting on his bed and discussing the options and trying to decipher between the lies and the truth.

"You know," Momiji said in response to Yuki's statement. "Tohru would _never_ kill someone. She just… she can't!"

Haru nodded for the twentieth time that night in agreement. "Akito did not tell us anything else, but Sensei might know something."

"Or Kureno." Momiji suggested.

Yuki blinked in confusion. "Sensei? You mean Shigure? Why?"

"Because," Haru said as he scratched at a spot on his chin. "He spent the entire night with him, and left late this morning."

"Oh, that's right!" Momiji confirmed. "Since we were both late," He turned to Yuki to explain. "We seen him leaving, and he looked happy."

Yuki rolled his eyes and sighed. "That moron is always happy."

"Yuki, this woman," Momiji tilted his head and studied the Rat's face. "Do you think she _really_…. wants to _kill _Tohru?"

Yuki considered the idea for a moment, then voiced his opinion. "I think she's already tried, considering the state Honda-san showed up in last night." He had told them about that too, and how confused he was. _This is all too much. _

"You said she's probably home with Kyo, right?' Haru asked.

Yuki nodded. "Yes, it seems she's told him a bit of what's happening."

"Why?" Momiji asked with his brows furrowed in anger. "Why does she tell him? She should tell Hana-chan and Uo-chan!"

Haru reached out his hand and patted the top of the blonde's head. "Momiji, don't get jealous. She's very fond of him."

Momiji looked at Yuki again. "I know she's fond of him, but why can't she tell us?" He voiced the question that had been on several people's mind. "We love her too! I want to help her, no matter what!"

Yuki looked out of the sliding window; it was already dark out and the night looked rather frightening. He wondered the same thing, he felt the same way, and he could not help but think the same things as Momiji had said. He wanted to know, he wanted to be there for her like she had been for him. _Why won't she give someone else a chance to help?_

"Yuki,"

Yuki looked at Haru and pushed his thoughts away. "Huh?"

"Don't kill yourself looking upset." He pointed to the frown consuming the prince's expression and laughed a little. "I know this isn't very funny, but I guess we're stuck guessing until she comes clean."

Momiji and Yuki both nodded in agreement. Then Momiji lifted his head and looked from one to the other.

"You know," He said in a whisper. "I bet we can….catch the two off guard."

The two boys looked at the Rabbit with interest. Yuki leaned in so he could hear the whispering. "We're listening…" He urged Momiji to continue.

"You know how slow Tohru is," He pointed out the obvious. "She says things without knowing who is listening. I once overheard her telling Hana-chan that she was _'feeling frustrated with work and chores'_," He nodded to emphasize the truth. "She thought no one could hear them, it was at school in a classroom."

Yuki cocked an eyebrow at the boy. "Yeah, but that's different." He shifted uncomfortably at the amount of time he had spent in his school uniform. "When this stuff started, she locked her bedroom door and she's even tried to avoid telling Kyo anything." He quickly remembered the morning before and voiced the incident. "Kyo told me she locked herself in the bathroom to avoid him."

"Whoa." Haru said, his eyes rounding slightly with thought. "That's different from what's expected from her."

Momiji clenched his fist in determination. "I'm going to talk to her tomorrow! I didn't see her today, otherwise I would have tried."

"I saw her once." Haru interjected. "She looked at me, then turned around and ran the other way." He shook his head in disappointment. "I was hoping to maybe talk to her too."

"Well," Yuki stood up and grabbed his back pack off the floor. "I should get going, who knows what hell she's going through with that stupid Cat and ignorant Dog."

"Be safe Yuki." Haru stood up and patted him on the back, then Yuki made his way out of the house.

"So," Haru turned to Momiji as he entered his bedroom to find the Rabbit getting ready to leave. "You really love Tohru, don't you?"

Momiji's cheeks turned red and he felt his stomach erupt in fluttering and butterflied. "I don't know." He answered reluctantly.

Haru nodded then stood aside, allowing the stressed boy to leave in peace.

* * *

"It's so crazy, but it's true."

Uo had just gone through the better part of an hour telling Catalyna the stories of the group of friends. She had not gone _too_ personal, due to the fact this girl was relatively new, but enough just to fill her in a bit. She had told her a bit about Tohru and her mom's death, then continued with how they had recruited Hanajima before Kyoko had died. She explained a little of Hana's trouble, as much as she could tell, with her Denpa waves and her way of wearing black. She had told her own story last, seeing that it was her own decision as to how much she could tell the listening girl. The two were in Uo's room, Catalyna sat on her bed while she got ready to head over to the Sohma's house.

"I can't believe you were in a gang!" Catalyna exclaimed as she cupped her hand to her mouth. She lowered it with wide eyes. "Was the one with the orange hair in a gang, too?" She asked with a shocked expression.

Uo turned to the girl as she stood up and ran a brush through her hair. She had changed in to some pants and a sweater, and did not really care how she looked do to her exhaustion. She turned Catalyna's question over in her head, then voiced her opinion.

"I don't know," She said as she narrowed her eyes in thought. "His anger seems like he might have been, but with how I've seen him act I'd have to say that I don't think so."

Catalyna nodded, then asked another question. "Is he really angry? Yuki Sohma said he was, but I didn't catch it today." She looked at the tall girl in confusion. "Perhaps I'll see it as time passes.'

"You sure will." Uo pointed the brush at her. "Tomorrow I'll show you, all I have to do is poke at him a bit and he goes off like crazy." She laughed a little at the thought of angering him. "I know, I'll tell him his roots are showing." Uo said as she smirked at the reaction she was hoping for.

"I like the school," Catalyna said as she looked up at the ceiling and zoned out a bit. "It seems peaceful, but I've only been there two days."

"Right," Uo placed her brush on a dresser filled with hair products that no one would guess she might own. "You didn't tell me why you moved here."

Catalyna glanced at the digital clock that had a small spot on the product filled dresser. "I'll keep it short since you're running low on time." She pointed to the numbers that read six fifty. "I don't want you to be late meeting Honda-san and Hanajima-san."

Uo looked at the clock and shrugged. "Oh well, it's alright, I'm late a lot anyways." She sat on the end of the bed next to her. "So, briefly, why'd you come?"

Catalyna sighed then began. "In a nut shell, in America my parents were shot and killed at a gang shoot-out by a cop who shot them on purpose because they looked like they may be involved. He was convicted of involuntary man slaughter, because he lied to the court and told the jury he saw my parents with guns. So, my Auntie and I moved here in hopes that the laws would be better, and to start over fresh!"

Uo gaped at her in disbelief. "Holy crap, that's crazy!" She turned to the girl and sat Indian style. "Why did the jury believe him? That's some crappy way for things to turn out."

"Yeah," Catalyna nodded. "I'm not too sure, but I know that it's in America, in the past, and I'm done with it." She stood up and pointed at the clock. "You really should go, though I wish I would have run in to you sooner."

Uo stood too and made her way out of the room with Catalyna. "Yeah, me too. Tomorrow at school we'll definitely talk more!" They walked over to the front door and slid on their shoes.

"Do you live alone?" Catalyna asked looking around.

"Kind of." Uo replied as she grabbed a hair tie off of a small entrance table by the door. "My Dad and I live here, but he leaves for work before I wake up, and doesn't get home until I'm asleep." She pulled her hair back and tied it in to a ponytail. "And on the weekends he goes out with friends a lot, so I basically live here most of the time alone."

Catalyna looked at her with sad eyes. "That must be lonely."

"Ha ha, Nah." Uo laughed as the two stepped out of the door and she locked it. "I've gotten used to it, and besides I'm always working or with Tohru and Hana and those boys."

"Well, now I'm here, so we can hang out too!" Catalyna exclaimed excitedly. "Have fun with your friends, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Cool, see ya." Uo watched the girl walk away past some doors, then she turned at the end of the open hall and disappeared in to another hall leading to more rooms. She made her way out of the entrance gate and set off down the side walk. _I like her, _she thought, _she reminds me of a more 'able to be mean' Tohru. _She agreed with herself and nodded . _She called my old gang a 'bunch of bastards', that's pretty cool. _She looked around at the darkness of the night, and folded her arms and hugged herself.

_I sure hope Tohru tells us something, this is getting out of hand. _

* * *

"I really don't want to write."

Tohru, Kyo, and Shigure all sat eating dinner. They had received a call from Yuki, informing them he was on his way home. Shigure watched in amusement as the two teenagers before him nervously exchanged glances and stuttered when spoken to. He was having way too much fun with their petty crushes and love lives. He decided to stir the pot a bit more, and so turned to the nervous orange haired boy.

"Kyo-kun, how would you feel if I wrote about you?" Shigure asked as he playfully poked the him in the arm with his finger.

Kyo looked at him in horror, afraid of what he would _write _exactly. "What about me?' He asked, walking straight in to Shigure's little joke.

"But of your _rising love_, of course!' Shigure waved his arms dramatically. "The story of a girl and boy, meeting only because she needed a place to stay, then falling head over heels in love with each other and living happily ever after!!"

Kyo glared at the Dog and his anger surfaced. "What the hell are you talking about you stupid moron!!" He yelled uncontrollably.

Tohru blinked at Shigure in confusion, not catching on to his ramblings. "Shigure-san, what do you mean?" She kept her eyes locked with the man's in order to avoid sneaking another glance at Kyo.

Shigure smiled widely and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Tohru-kun, it is the story of a Cat and his adorable Princess! Cat Kyo, and Princess Tohru Honda!"

"EH?!" Tohru blushed and began to panic. "N-NO, Shigure-san, what are you talking about there's nothing nothing nothing _absolutely nothing_! I don't know what you possibly mean have I done something that would indicate something I'm so sorry sorry-!"

"Tohru-kun, calm down!" Shigure patted her head and smiled laughing. "I was only teasing you."

Kyo looked at her, a strange pain taking over his emotions. She had said it was nothing, _'absolutely nothing' _at that. He knew she would always panic and say anything to get the attention away from her, but he could not help but feel her words may be true.

"Well, this was delicious." Shigure stood up with his plate and walked toward the kitchen. "You were quick with dinner, Tohru-kun, thank you very much!"

Tohru nodded as Shigure walked out of the room and she heard his plate be set in the sink. She looked at the clock and seen it was now seven fifteen. _I wonder if they are still coming. _She bravely turned to look at Kyo, meeting his eyes and causing her heart rate to speed up.

He looked at her, feeling the pain increase as he held the gaze. He wanted to look away and leave, but could not get his eyes or body to move. He still held the contact as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Kyo-kun, did you like ….dinner?" She awkwardly tried to start some kind of conversation. She waited for him to answer, but he just sat still and stared at her. She hoped he would say something, anything that would calm her nerves from going crazy. _Is he angry with me? Did I do something wrong? _

"Yeah." He finally answered and she jumped in surprise. He looked away and stood up with his half eaten plate.

She watched him walk in to the kitchen. _Oh no, this is bad. _She worried to herself. _What happened earlier, is he upset with me? It's conceited to wonder, but is he upset that the kiss did not happen? He kissed me on the cheek…so maybe it's possible. _She looked up as he entered the room again and walked straight through to the living room, and she knew he was heading for the roof.

"Kyo-kun!" She yelled suddenly and she got up and ran after him. "Kyo-kun!" She entered the living room looked around, catching the front door close. She ran to it and opened it, seeing Kyo walking toward the ladder leading to the roof. _No, thinking that way is just not … right. _

"Kyo-kun!"

Kyo stopped and turned around, trying to push away the hurt that was causing him to walk away from her. She caught up to him and he waited for her to say something.

"K-Kyo-kun, what's wrong?" She asked lamely, feeling the brewing of what could turn in to some kind of argument.

Kyo turned his head away but shifted his eyes to look at her. "It's nothing, It's _absolutely nothing._" He emphasized the last two words.

"Absolutely nothing…?' Tohru repeated as tears began to form in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I should have…" She trailed off.

_Aw, crap! _He mentally kicked himself for his words. _It's not her fault that I'm feeling like crap, it's mine for being too damn forward! _He watched as she looked at the floor with tears running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that.." He quickly apologized then turned around. He could not bring himself to comfort her, so he headed toward the ladder.

"W-wait!"

He turned as Tohru ran at him with her arms stretched out. He was caught off guard as she hugged him tightly around his middle and buried her face in his chest. "Kyo-kun, I l-"

_POOF!_

The small cloud of smoke cleared in a moment and she held him in his Cat form in her arms. She had been cut off from what she was going to say by the explosion, but did not mind or care to continue her words.

"What'd you do that for?' He asked as he lay comfortably in her arms. "I hate turning in to a cat.."

"I'm sorry," She sniffed. "It was the only way I could get you to stop." She smiled down at him, and then bent down to pick up his clothes.

"What…the….hell….?!"

Tohru grew wide eyed as she recognized the voice behind her. _Oh no… _She stood up and turned, the Cat's eyes widening with hers in synch.

Uo and Hanajima stood a few feet away, both gaping at the scene before them and looking horror struck.

Uo raised a hand and pointed at the Cat in Tohru's arms.

"Tohru… what the hell just happened to Orangey….?"

* * *

**A/N: **They seen! They saw! Oh no what to do! So how about that, twice and no luck. Personally, I would have slapped Shigure and told him to leave so I could have some fun with the guy. ;) but that's just me. So this chapter was left without the presence of Vanessa or Angelo, good or bad… I liked how this one turned out, I kind of rushed it cause I was excited, but I tried. The next will be more descriptive… I hope. Anyways, I should have the next up in the next few days, but if not then it will be by the weekend or on Sunday night. I've been finding my ideas, they've been hiding. So if you guys want to see anything, let me know so I can work it in or try and consider it. Later, thanks for reading!


	11. Falling in to Place?

**Quick Disclaimer for author notes: I don't own pepsi….or furuba. **

**A/N: **Hello I'm back! I found another idea under my bed! This one was more difficult to work with, it fought me until I made heads and tails and typed it on the document. **Kyki-The Late Night Writer **I thought it was pretty funny too! It's one of those things like …dun dun.. Ha haha! I decided to have them find out because, well come on! How can they possibly go over so much and not catch anything? Thank you **Katalina0525, **you are so very kind! I smiled a lot when I read that review. Oh, and to answer the question of **Vikertee, **my secret to writing so much so fast is: Cue music!

_What is love? Baby don't hurt me, _head hanging _don't hurt me, no more. .._

Doom, doom, doom doom doom, doom, doom, doom doom doom.

grabs a diet pepsi max and drinks, lifts head and starts dancing

_Whoa whoa whoaaaaa, whooaaaaa, whoaaaaaa. _WAKE UP PEOPLE!!

Ha ha I know it's lame, but it's totally true! That stuff makes me all hyper and I usually end up staying up really late and typing up a whole chapter. It sooo does wake me up like that! I love the Diet Pepsi Max!! So if you want this story to continue to roll this way, then I need an unlimited supply of the Max! Don't worry… I have plenty. In fact, I'm drinking one right now!

I have neglected to thank everyone for the reading and reviewing and feedback, so at the end of this chapter I will go on and thank everyone. Oh, thank you **Vikertee **for pointing out that I spelled it wrong, guess I was in a rush or I confused the two L. Enough rambling, on to the chappie! Ride Destiny!!

* * *

**Chapter 11: Falling in to Place?**

"What is this all supposed to mean?"

The Head of the Sohma Family sat in her home with some unexpected company, listening to what it was they had to say. Angelo and Vanessa sat with Akito in her room, informing her of some underground information, which in their opinion, Akito may find rather useful. Kureno sat beside Akito, getting his ears full of the secrets and truths behind things.

Vanessa sat Indian style upon the wood floor, "Akito-san, this means that there are a lot of reasons why you should allow us to …." She looked at Angelo with an eyebrow raised. "Get rid of her?"

Akito leaned against Kureno's legs, contemplating on the severity of these people. "You really want to _kill _her?" She asked with a hint of disbelief. "What she did is disturbing, but even then, why such lengths for one _stupid_ girl?"

"Akito-san," Angelo began, his voice dripping in irritation. "We don't really need your _permission_ to do anything to the girl." He leaned toward the Head and narrowed his eyes. "I don't think you really know who you're dealing with."

Akito looked from one to the other, challenging them to try and order her around on her own property. "I don't care who you are, here in my territory, things go _my_ way."

Vanessa glanced at her cousin, then reached in to her coat pocket and drew out the same knife that had been used on Tohru. Blood still stained the blade, and she held it up to the light for all to see. "Look at that," She looked at the knife and moved it to show the sharpness. She then lowered her gaze to Akito. "It's been used recently…"

Akito looked at the blade, tensing and ready to call her guards and servants if need be. She gripped Kureno's pant leg, becoming frightened for her life.

"Oh," Angelo looked at the knife in mock wonder. "We did use that, on …. Tohru, did we not?" He locked eyes with Akito warningly. "I suppose to use it again would be no big deal."

"That's it!" Akito stood up quickly and pointed toward the sliding doors. "Get out! Get out of here!"

"Akito, please be reasonable." Kureno stood and held on to the god's shoulders.

"Yes, the mother of that _Cat_ was more cooperative." Vanessa spoke in a low and dangerous voice. "She was so pathetic! Ha ha ha!" She laughed and placed a hand on Angelo's shoulder. "I remember her crying about her _pathetic_ son! Do you remember, Angelo?"

Angelo nodded and stood up. "Yes, I remember it clearly." He stuck out his hand and pulled Vanessa off of the floor. "She _begged_ to be killed."

Akito narrowed her eyes at the two, allowing herself to be held back by Kureno. "How much do you know about this family?" She asked slowly.

"Oh, we know enough." Vanessa said as she walked over to the door and slid on her heels. "We are well aware that this family hides things rather well." She placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "But fortunately for us, not _too_ well."

Angelo followed and slid his shoes on. "Don't worry, oh _'Head of the Family'_, you hate that girl so much, you couldn't possibly mind if she disappears."

"You know about…. The Curse?" Akito asked bewildered. "How do you ….?"

The two turned to her and bowed. Then Angelo spoke last for them as they stood and walked out of the door.

"Information is easy to come by, _Miss_ Sohma."

Kureno's jaw dropped as he watched the two leave. "Akito, how do these people know?"

She shrugged Kureno off of her shoulders and turned to glare at him. "How should I know!?" She yelled, losing her temper. "Someone here is selling us out! I have to find out who!"

He watched the god stomp out of the door angrily. _Who are these people? What the hell is going on? _

* * *

"Okay, I get it."

After seeing Kyo turn in to a cat, Uo and Hanajima had been pulled inside the house and forced to listen to Tohru's explanation. After Kyo changed back, he and Shigure tried to help Tohru explain everything to the two girls. Yuki had returned home and soon was informed of the incident, to which he was shocked to find the curse being explained, instead of being erased from their memories. Now, Tohru and the Sohmas sat at the eating table with Uo and Hanajima, praying that they would not be too freaked out or misunderstand things.

Uo nodded at the Sohmas after her first words, then repeated herself. "I get it!"

"Yes, I too understand." Hanajima looked over the heads of everyone and stared at the wall as she continued. "It explains the strange waves emitting off of every Sohma that I have come to meet."

Tohru looked at Shigure nervously. "Yes, that is the reason. But this is a secret." She looked at her friends with pleading eyes. "I never told you because if I had, my memories would have been erased."

Uo nodded, the two having been told about the memory erasing too. "So, does this mean _we _have to get them erased?"

"Well," Shigure said as he scratched his chin in thought. "It really is up to the head of the family…"

Tohru turned and looked at the Dog with pleading eyes. She really wanted her friends to remember, but knew the severity of the consequences if Akito was not informed.

Shigure nodded his head to himself. "I suppose what Akito doesn't know can't hurt him." He smiled at the two girls. "If we erased your memory of this incident, you would still come around," He pointed out. "The potential of you rediscovering this secret is far too high for the hassle."

Yuki nodded in agreement. "That's true, I'm sure Akito would not appreciate the constant calls for Hatori."

"So it's okay?' Tohru turned to Shigure and clutched onto his robe sleeve. "As long as they keep it secret, it's really okay?" She asked hopefully.

Shigure nodded and patted her head. "For now it is, as long as they promise." He turned to the two girls and eyed them expectantly. "Do you?"

The two nodded together, then Uo spoke up. "Too bad there's no Jackass in the Zodiac," She smirked and looked at Kyo. "I'd expect _you_ to be that, instead of the Cat." She pointed at him and laughed.

"Shut up!" Kyo stood up and began to shout. "You two shouldn't even know about this! When Akito finds out, we'll all be-"

"He won't find out," Yuki cut him off and glared at him. "You _stupid_ Cat."

"Shut up, damn Rat!" Kyo yelled as he stomped over to the staircase. "This wouldn't have happened if _you_ hadn't hugged me!" He turned around and pointed at Tohru.

Tohru flinched as his anger was directed at her. She had no proper chance to respond as her friends came to her rescue.

"Hey, Orangey!" Uo stood up and made a fist at him. "Don't yell at Tohru like that, unless you want me to _kick_ your ass!" She punched her palm in a fighting spirit.

Hanajima also stood, but in a less violent and a more frightening manner. "Whatever her reason was for hugging you," She stared at him with a threatening look in her eye. "It wouldn't stop me from cursing you to nothingness…"

"H-Hana-chan, Uo-chan!" Tohru stood up quickly and tried to hold back her friends. "Please, he's normally angry like this here too." She held her hands together in front of her in a begging manner. "Please understand, Kyo-kun is just very frustrated with me-"

"Come here, bastard!" Uo stomped over to him and grabbed him by the scruff. "If I catch you blaming her again, you'll be sorry." She shook her fist in his face.

"Wait, Uo-chan!" Tohru ran up behind her and made to grab the girl, but accidentally pushed her in to Kyo.

"AH!"

_POOF!_

Uo waved her arm and cleared the smoke, then looked down at the orange cat below her. "Dammit!" She exclaimed as she stood up and folded her arms angrily. "I wanted to _kick_ his ass!"

"Technically, you still can." Yuki pointed out as he too stood and walked over to the panicky Tohru.

"I'm sorry Kyo-kun, Uo-chan!" Tohru bent down and picked up Kyo's clothes. "I thought you were really going to hit him, Uo-chan!"

"I _was_ going to hit him!" Uo said as she pointed to the fuming cat on the floor. "But as the Prince said, technically I still can!"

"Shut up, you damn woman!" Kyo yelled up at her. "If you come anywhere near me, I'll scratch you!" He held up his paw and extracted his claws. "Without any mercy!'

Without warning he pounced at her feet and Uo leapt back in reaction. She bumped in to Tohru and caused her to fall backward in to Yuki just as Kyo changed back.

_POOF!_

_POOF!_

"Whoa!" Uo exclaimed as she waved her arm in Yuki's direction and cleared some of the smoke from the two explosions. "That's so _small_!"

"WHAT?!" Kyo exclaimed as he quickly ran behind the door frame to cover his nudity. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" He yelled as his face turned seven different shades of red. "YOU'RE NOT A MAN WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT SMALL IS??"

"HA HA HAHA!" Shigure pointed at Kyo from where he stood across the room.

"What?' Uo turned and looked at his head poking out in confusion, then what he thought she meant dawned on her and she also turned red. "I WAS TALKING ABOUT HIS RAT BODY!" She yelled at the highly embarrassed Kyo. "YOU ARE SICK! I DIDN'T EVEN SEE ANYTHING!"

Tohru looked from one to the other as she too understood what the mistake had been. "Uh…." She tried to say something that would take the conversation away from….that.

"Tohru!" Kyo yelled at her as his face slowly changed back to it's normal tone. "Give me my damn clothes!"

"Oh!" She exclaimed as she quickly walked over and handed them to him, looking another direction as to not see anything private.

"Thanks." He mumbled as he took them from her and disappeared behind the wall to dress.

"Wow…" Hanajima kneeled down to where the small rat form of Yuki sat comfortably on the carpeted floor. "It must be strange to be so tall, then in one wrong move shrink so small."

"I'm used to it." Yuki said as he got up and made his way to the room where Kyo was changing. "Honda-san, when he's done will you throw my clothes in there?"

Tohru nodded and gathered Yuki's clothes in her arms. Kyo stepped back in to the room as he pulled on his shirt. "You girls need to be careful." He nodded his head in the girl's direction. "This can't happen at school, otherwise we'll have a lot of explaining to do." He straightened his clothes and sighed. "I'm tired…"

Tohru quickly ran in to the room and lay the clothes neatly on the floor, then went back in to the other room with everyone.

"It's late." Hanajima looked at the clock on the wall. "It's already ten forty."

"You girls should just spend the night." Shigure suggested to Uo and Hanajima. "It's too dangerous to go home at this time of night."

The two girls nodded as an explosion sounded from the room Yuki had entered.

"This night has been very eventful." Tohru said as she motioned for the girls to follow her to the stairs. "We should go to bed now."

"Cool." Uo and Hana followed her as she started up the stairs. Uo turned and waved her hand. "Night boys!"

Shigure waited until Tohru's door was safely closed and he turned to Kyo. "This is getting really complicated." He turned and made his way toward his room. "We'll be lucky if we can hide this from Akito, for Tohru-kun's sake." He stopped and turned to look at Kyo. "We can't have her friends forget about her; it would be very selfish of us."

Kyo glared at his back as he left the room. _Damn everything! I can't believe this, if Akito finds out, Tohru will be the one in trouble…_

"Stupid Cat," Yuki entered the room and folded his arms as he stood a ways behind Kyo. "You had better be able to help her."

Kyo turned around and retorted. "What the hell do you mean?"

Yuki shook his head and walked over to the staircase. "Let's just say I'm on to this secret, due to the discovery of who inflicted the wound on Honda-san."

This caught Kyo's full attention and he walked over to the Prince. "Who?" He asked as he narrowed his eyes at the Rat. "How did you find out?"

Yuki rolled his eyes and started up the stairs. "A woman told me it was her, but wouldn't give me her name. Perhaps if you ask Honda-san she'll tell you."

Kyo fumed to himself as Yuki's door shut and he was now alone. _At least she told me she suspected he was on drugs…_ He walked up the stairs and headed for his door, then his name being said by one of the girl's in Tohru's room caught his attention and he walked over to her door to eaves drop. He listened to the girl's conversation.

"It makes sense now," He heard Uo's voice. "We saw you try to hug Kyon in the hall but he stopped you."

"Eh? You saw that?!" Tohru asked with panic in her voice.

"Yes, Tohru-kun." Hana responded. "We were very confused since you told us he kissed you… which I assume isn't true."

"It's not true…" Tohru confirmed and he heard a hint of disappointment in her voice. "We had a disagreement the night before, and I really did not want to see him."

"That's pretty funny." Uo said sarcastically. "I guess we sounded dumb when we teased him."

Kyo walked away from the door, not wanting to hear anything else said. _Those two knowing….what's gonna happen now? _His thoughts continued on as he enterered his room and changed. He crawled in to bed and pulled the covers over himself, and then turned over on his stomach and buried his face in his pillow. "Errrrrr…." He groaned incoherently.

_This girl needs to seriously tell me everything, I don't know how much longer I can last not knowing the whole truth._

* * *

"_Dad… are you going to be okay?" A young girl with curly black hair stood by a hospital bed gazing at a man._

"_Yes, sweetheart…I hope so…" He responded weakly. _

"_Dad…he'll pay for this… he'll pay!" _

_BANG!! _

"_DAD!!" _

_The girl watched as a man shot at her father in the middle of an alleyway. The man with the gun was blurred but she knew very well who he was. She ran to her father as he fell backwards and landed hard on the concrete…._

"You… bastard…"

"_How could you?!" She turned to the blurry man. "Why would you do this?!" _

"Why… would …you…?"

"_I hate you! You'll pay!" _

_BEE BEE BEEP, BEE BEE BEEP!_

"DAD!!"

The girl shot up in her bed and frantically looked around her bedroom. Her phone alarm was beeping and signaling her to get up. "Crap…" She reached over to her night stand and shut off the alarm, then took a deep breath.

"Just a stupid dream…" She told herself as she wiped the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead, causing her black bangs to frizz.

"Catalyna, are you awake?" A voice called from outside of her room.

"Yes, I am." She called back as she pulled her covers off of her and swung her legs out of her bed. "Stupid school…."

Ten minutes later the girl walked out of her room fully dressed in her school uniform and with her long hair clipped half up. She made her way in to the living room of her apartment and wiped her eyes as she looked at the back of a woman sitting on the couch. "Mom, can I talk to you?" She asked the woman as she read a newspaper.

The woman turned around to reveal her Latin appearance very similar to Catalyna's. She was fair skinned and had long straight black hair, and a long thin scar across her left cheek. She wore a black long sleeve shirt, with black slacks and heels. She looked the girl up and down before answering in a domineering voice. "Yes, what do you need?"

Catalyna walked over to an opposite couch and sat down, placing her back pack next to her. She looked at her mother with a worried expression, afraid she may offend the woman with what she was about to say. She took a deep breath and spoke.

"I don't want to do this anymore."

The woman peered over the Japanese newspaper at her, then folded it irritably and set it on the coffee table that was located between the two couches. "And why would you not want to?" She crossed her legs and folded her arms, waiting patiently to hear her daughter's explanation.

"I just," Catalyna began as she nervously fiddled with her fingers. "I'm just feeling….guilty. These people are kind, and real." She looked at her mother hopefully. "Please understand."

"Catalyna," Her mother stood up and revealed herself to be about seven inches taller than her daughter. She walked over to the front door and picked up a suitcase on the floor. "We go through this _every_ time." She walked back over to the couch and sat down with the briefcase on her lap. "Do I have to remind you that you _always_ feel guilty at first?" She opened the top to reveal her name engraved in cursive on the top: _Florentina Lorenzo_.

"No, Mom." Catalyna continued to try to explain. "It's different this time. Usually the guilt is gone after the first day, but now it's the third and I _still_ feel over whelming guilt."

"Still?" Florentina shuffled through some papers in the briefcase, then she pulled out a stack of clipped papers and closed the top. "So you feel guilty for messing with a few brats, but the fact that it's all to get _that man _thrown in prison for what he did doesn't push the guilt away?"

"I know I shouldn't feel like this," Catalyna stood up with tears in her eyes. "But I've never taken on a job out of the country! These people are different from those in America!"

"Don't pull that crap!" Florentina stood up and walked over to her daughter. "If you try to flake out on me because of some _stupid _people, I will leave you here with them!" She snarled in her daughters face.

Catalyna looked at her mother with fearful eyes, then she shook her head. "No, I won't flake out." She whispered defeated.

Her mother smiled evilly. "Good." She began to shuffle through the papers and pulled one out. "Besides, what could be so nice about a guy with anger issues?"

Catalyna blinked in confusion. "Anger issues? What are you talking about?"

"Yuki Sohma, the boy you're supposed to talk to." She held up the paper to reveal a profile labeled _Yuki Sohma_, and a picture of an orange haired boy. "He's got issues, this one does." Florentina laughed a little.

Catalyna looked at the picture and recognized Kyo at once. "That's not Yuki Sohma, that's _Kyo_ Sohma." She grabbed the profile and ran a finger over the paper reading the details. "Hair: Orange, Height: about 6 feet, Eyes: unknown…." She looked over at the personality description and read it aloud. "_Wears an angry expression mostly, but has been seen to relax around brunette. Knows martial arts and lives with cousin Shigure Sohma, calls a man named Kazuma Sohma his father…." _She trailed off and looked up at her mother. "Mom, this is not _Yuki_ Sohma."

"What are you talking about?" Florentina snatched the paper back and looked it over. "I spent _three weeks _watching this guy, and this is the picture I took of him, and this is the name that I was given."

"I don't know who gave you that name," Catalyna grabbed her backpack off of the couch. "But that's not Yuki. He's a lot different from _that_ description." She put her back pack on then turned back to her mother. "Wait, if the name doesn't match the description, then what now…?"

Florentina looked over the paper again, then threw it on the coffee table and cocked an eyebrow at her daughter. "You have to talk to _this_ guy." She pointed to the picture of Kyo. "He's the one who's close to the girl. The name may be wrong but the profile fit's him." She folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to one leg. "You can do that, can't you?"

Catalyna looked at the picture nervously. She had been told by Yuki and Uo that he was mean and angry. How was she supposed to start talking to someone who might bite her head off? She decided she would give it a try and nodded to her mother. "Yeah, I can."

"Good." Her mother walked over to the door and held it open for her. "Now go and try to remember your _reason_ behind this task."

Twenty minutes later Catalyna walked on to the school campus alone. _I was hoping to walk with Uotani. _She had knocked on the door to no answer, and so looked forward to seeing if she may have left earlier than she had. She walked across the grounds toward the building, pondering on how to speak with the orange haired boy. _Maybe I should let Uotani show me how angry he gets, then I can plan a strategy…_ Just as she was deciding to herself that it would be better than testing him herself, she heard herself be called from somewhere ahead.

"Hey, newbie girl!"

She looked up to see Uo waving at her accompanied by every person she had met before. Uo motioned for her to go over, so she quickly trotted over to where they were standing outside of the entrance to the building.

"Hey, what's up?" Uo asked as Catalyna reached the group.

"Good morning everyone!" Catalyna greeted the group cheerfully.

"Good morning, Lyna-kun!' Tohru greeted in return. Everyone smiled at her, except for Kyo, who looked rather tired.

Catalyna turned to Uo to ask her about the morning. "Do you leave early? Cause I knocked on your door this morning…."

"Oh, that's right!' Uo turned to the rest of the group excitedly. 'I didn't tell you guys, this girl lives in the same apartment building that I do!"

"Really?" Yuki looked at Catalyna and smiled. "That's great, you don't have to be alone walking to school."

"Yeah, sorry about this morning." Uo turned back to the waiting girl. "I spent the night at their house." She jabbed her thumb in the general direction of Tohru, Kyo and Yuki.

"That's okay." Catalyna smiled at her. "Sleepovers are fun!" She smiled happily.

"Lyna-kun," Tohru looked at Catalyna happily. "I was hoping that today, maybe we can all go eat together for dinner!" Tohru looked around at everyone. "That is, if everyone has time…?"

"I, for one, always have time." Hanajima smiled at Tohru. "That sounds like fun."

Everyone nodded, except for Kyo who shook his head in disgust. "No thanks, I need to go to the Dojo today…" He folded his arms and leaned against the wall of the building.

"Oh," Uo poked Catalyna in the shoulder and motioned for her to pay attention. "Remember I told you how mad he gets?" She pointed in Kyo's direction.

Catalyna nodded eagerly. "Yes, I remember."

Uo smirked. "Okay then…" She looked at Kyo and cleared her throat. "Looks like _someone," _She said loudly. "Is totally _sucking_ this morning!"

"Uh, Uo-chan?" Tohru tugged on the blonde's arm. "Please, he seems angry…"

"Hey, Orangey!" Uo yelled, angry her first opinion did not get a rise out of him.

"What?!" He retorted.

Uo smiled mischievously and pointed to his head. "Your _roots_ are showing, guess you missed your monthly _dye_ job."

"SHUT THE HELL UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

Catalyna flinched as she watched Kyo yell at Uo. _Whoa, he really is mean… _

"HA HAHA!" Uo laughed in Kyo's face. "You are so easy! Get a grip, Kyon!"

Yuki placed his hand on Catalyna's shoulder when he seen her flinch. "Don't worry, Lorenzo-san," He smirked at Kyo's childish behavior. "I told you, this is how he is _normally_."

_RIIIINNNNGGGGG!!_

The bell signaled the beginning of class and everyone piled in to the hallway. Catalyna glanced between the two boys cautiously. _I still want to talk to Yuki, and how am I supposed to do this when he snapped so easily? _She zoned out as she walked along behind the quiet Kyo, thinking of a way to break the ice and maybe say 'hello' or something.

"Oof." Catalyna snapped out of her thoughts as she accidentally bumped in to him from behind. She watched in fear as he turned around to look at her. _Oh no, he's going to yell at me like he did to Uotani-san…_

Kyo cocked an eyebrow at the girl, then rolled his eyes. "Watch where you're going." He said quickly as he turned and continued to walk away.

She watched him in confusion. _Okay, so he didn't yell at me…_

_Maybe he's not as angry as everyone says he is…?_

* * *

"Tohru, let's talk, okay?"

After school Tohru set off home with Momiji, who had insisted that he walk with her so that he could keep her company. She had only smiled and accepted him as her company, hoping he would not try to talk to her about anything. But, with all of the questioning and confusion around, who could blame the Rabbit for asking?

Tohru looked off down the sidewalk, trying to pretend she had failed to hear him.

"Tohru, listen to me." Momiji stepped in front of her to stop her from continuing. "Please talk to me, it's killing me not being able to help you!"

"Momiji-kun," Tohru began as she looked the boy straight in the eyes. "I don't think _anyone_ can help me."

Momiji looked away as she moved around him and continued walking. He could not let her off that easy, so he turned around to speak.

"Not even…Kyo?"

She stopped and turned to look at him; his expression held confusion and hurt. _Did he really just say that_? She thought as she walked back to him slowly and tried to smile.

"Momiji-kun, what makes you think he could help me anymore than anyone?" She tried to sound sincere, but her paining heart would not allow it. Her voice betrayed her as her next words revealed the worry. "I can help myself…"

The boy looked at her as she held back her tears. He couldn't handle it; the uncertainty of everything and the way she would run to Kyo with any problem she was faced with. Where had he been when the two had become so close? Would he be the only person she would run to with her fears forever? _No! _He tried to tell himself otherwise. _I have to be a man and be here for her! _

"Honda-san!"

The two turned to the sound of the voice and Tohru's face lit up with a smile. Across the street Catalyna stood waving happily.

"Who's that?" Momiji asked Tohru. "Is she your friend?"

"Yes!" Tohru smiled as she the girl walked across the street toward them. "Hello Lyna-kun!"

Catalyna walked up to the two and smiled. "Hi, are you walking home?"

"Yes, I am!" Tohru exclaimed happily. "Lyna-kun, this is Momiji-kun!" She presented Momiji as she introduced him.

"Hi." Momiji smiled weakly to the girl. "Nice to meet you."

"Momiji is a Sohma, just like Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun!" Tohru informed the girl. She turned to Momiji. "Her full name is Catalyna Lorenzo!"

"You're hair is very…." Catalyna pointed to the blonde color of Momiji's hair. "Bright… and nice."

"Thank you!" Momiji lightened up at the compliment. "Yuki told me and my cousin Haru about you yesterday." He smiled at the girl. "You should meet Haru, he's very kind!"

_So many Sohmas….and they all have rather nice looks. _Catalyna wondered what the one called 'Haru' might look like. "I couldn't help but notice how handsome the other two are," She looked at Momiji. "And now I've met you and you are handsome too. Does beauty run in your blood line?"

Momiji blushed at the compliment. "Well, I don't know." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe it does…?" He looked at Tohru. "You've seen most of the Sohmas, would you say it does?"

"Oh, why yes!" Tohru answered enthusiastically. The arrival of Catalyna had forced her to push her thoughts away from the previous discussion, and she turned to her to confirm the answer. "All of the one's I've met are very beautiful!"

Momiji suddenly gasped as he remembered something. "Oh, I forgot that I'm supposed to make up a test today!" He turned around and made to run back to the school as he waved to the two. "I'll see you later, Tohru. Nice to meet you Lyna-kun!" He took off quickly down the sidewalk.

Catalyna turned to Tohru, seeing the girl space off in a worried manner. "Honda-san, is something wrong?" She asked in concern.

"Um, well…" Tohru began as the two set off walking in the same direction. "Kind of…I guess.."

_This is so wrong, she looks really upset. _Catalyna wanted to smack herself as the guilt set in, but she knew she had a reason for her actions, and so tried to push the girl as gently as possible to maybe talk about anything. "You guess…?"

"Not I guess, yes there is something." Tohru said without her mind's consent. _This girl doesn't know anything about me, so what would be the harm in talking a bit? I just won't tell her the real reason. _With that reasoning in her mind Tohru turned to the waiting girl. "You see, I told someone something, and now it's causing a lot of problems.."

Catalyna nodded, trying to signal she was 'all ears'.

"Ever since I told this person, it's sort of…"Tohru searched her mind for the right words that would not indicate anything other than a petty problem. "…caught up with me."

_Caught up? Could she mean…that?_ Catalyna nodded again with more urgency, hoping she would continue.

Tohru shook her head. _No, I can't pour anything like this on someone who I've just met! It's not right or fair to her. _She immediately turned to her and smiled, deciding to not continue. "Lyna-kun, I really have to get home fast. Tonight for dinner, let's talk more, okay?"

Catalyna nodded. "Um, okay."

They reached a corner and Tohru set off in another direction. "Bye, Lyna-kun. See you tonight. Come with Uo-chan!" She waved as she walked away.

Catalyna waved in disappointment, then began to walk down the way leading to her home. She had intended to walk home with Uo, but she had to work and so was forced to walk alone. Her thoughts wandered to the task her mother had given her. _How in the world am I supposed to talk to that guy? _At lunch she had tried to talk to Kyo a little, but he mostly stayed quiet or gave one-word answers. She walked a long, wishing she had stayed after school to walk with Yuki again. The streets were quiet and a strange chill ran through her body. She kept her eyes forward as a feeling of being watched came over her. She walked up to a corner and waited to cross the street, just as a low female voice spoke from somewhere behind her.

"Hello, Catalyna."

She turned as she recognized the voice; the dark form of Vanessa stood leaning against the wall of the building she had just passed. Fear grew in her as she watched the woman push away from the wall and walk over to where she stood.

"Va-Vanessa?" Catalyna stuttered as she backed away a bit. The woman glared at her and she thought about running home, but Vanessa placed her hands on her hips and shook her head.

"You, girl," Vanessa said in a dangerous voice. "Have ruined things for us for the last time." She looked her up and down and tutted in disapproval. "Following us all over the place, it's _very_ annoying."

Catalyna pushed her fear away and narrowed her eyes at the woman. "I don't care if you find me annoying, I'll get you locked up if it's the last thing I do!"

"You are such a _disgrace_." Vanessa spat the last word. "To think we ever considered you _real_ family."

"I don't want to be your family!" Catalyna said loudly, catching the attention of a couple passing people. Not wanting any conversation to be heard she brought her voice down to normal. "I'd rather burn in hell."

"Ha ha ha ha." Vanessa laughed. "Then burn, cause as far as I'm concerned, you're wasting your time here." She gestured to the surroundings with her arms. "We're going to get _the girl _for what she did to Xavier, and _you_ can't stop us."

"And why would I stop you?" Catalyna asked in a shaking voice and ignoring her fear. "If I did there would be no crime to lock you up for."

"You have to let go of things," Vanessa took a step toward her. "Stupid girl, you're hatred and resentment are _fake_, you would not stand by and let innocent people die for your selfishness."

"How do _you _know what I wouldn't do?" Catalyna challenged her, despite her thoughts urging her to run away.

Vanessa looked around, then grabbed her shoulders and pulled her toward her until their noses were an inch away. She looked in to the girl's fear filled eyes and spoke in a low voice.

"If you keep interfering, I'll _kill_ you."

Catalyna pulled away from her and stepped back. She looked around quickly then turned on her heel and ran across the street.

_HONK HONK!_

"Watch it girl!"

Vanessa watched as the girl made it across the street and kept running. She smiled to herself, then turned and walked in the opposite direction.

The tall slender form of Yuki walked out of the store and on to the corner where the two had been. He looked in the direction of Catalyna in confusion, having recognized the woman and heard Catalyna call her Vanessa. Yuki had heard the entire thing as he had stood right inside the doors. _If Lorenzo-san knows this woman, then maybe she can tell me what's going on! _He remembered that Uo had said she was living in the same apartment building, and so he set off for the place. _From what I heard, she's trying to get this Vanessa locked up. But she had also said at the price of Honda-san being hurt. _Yuki had understood the obvious reference of '_the girl' _as Tohru. _But Xavier….didn't Uotani-san say that name the other night? _He walked on and tried to piece everything together. _Honda-san is being accused of doing something to this Xavier, and Akito had said she … killed someone…. If I remember correctly Akito said it was her mother's boyfriend. _

Yuki stopped suddenly and gasped as every clue seemed to fall in to place. He remembered the other day when Vanessa had entered the watch shop; the shop keeper had looked at her in fear and left immediately. _If the man at the counter feared her, he must know who she's affiliated with and how dangerous she really is!_

Yuki looked around at his location, then turned around and set off at a run for the watch shop. _What are the real intention's of Lorenzo-san? _He wondered and tried to decide between two possibilities. _Is this girl someone who can help…._

…_or someone to be afraid of?_

* * *

**A/N: **Alright! Live on Pepsi Max! I can't believe I'm already on my way to chapter 12! I've now ended two chapters with Yun-Yun! He is kind of uninformed so I guess it's cool.

**Thank You: **

**Chap 1: Vikertee, 9xDance Water Dancex9 and automailmechanic**

**Chap 2: Ryuu13, PurplePolkaDots93, automailmechanic and Vikertee**

**Chap 3: 9xDance Water Dancex9, PurplePolkaDots93, automailmechanic, Vikertee and Princess-goth**

**Chap 4: Kyki-The Late Night Writer, Ryuu13, PurplePolkaDots93, automailmechanic and Vikertee**

**Chap 5: Vikertee, automailmechanic, pluton123 and Ryuu13**

**Chap 6: Kyki- The Late Night Writer, Ryuu13, katalina0525 and Vikertee**

**Chap 7: Vikertee, Kyki-The Late Night Writer, katalina0525 and Ryuu13**

**Chap 8: Kyki- The Late Night Writer, Ryuu13, katalina0525, Vikertee and hrtSakura**

**Chap 9: katalina0525, Ryuu13, Kyki- The Late Night Writer and Vikertee**

**Chap 10: Vikertee, katalina0525 and Kyki- The Late Night Writer**

Okay, this is as far as the posting of this chapter! From now on there will be proper thanks, responses if their simple, and other stuff at the beginning of each chapter. So I'll try to keep the A/N's short, that way I can really say thanks a ton for reading my story!


	12. No Chance

**A/N: **Muaw ha ha ha! I'm back with a new chappie! So good news for you guys is that I've managed to lock my ideas in a cage and keep them there so that they won't get away from me again. Er… they're fast. Anyways I'm still open to suggestions though, so if you got any, lemme hear em! I've noticed that I've gotten in to the strange habit of opening a lot of scene changes or breaks with a character speaking, depending on what's happening. Strange, I'm not sure why. **Important: **Before I said that this fic is based on volume 11 and up, but I made a mistake. What I meant was that basically everything has happened the same before that volume, and that after that may be tweaked. This is actually really based (time wise) on volumes 14 - 17ish. As I've said, it's getting cold so that means they are in October/November ish of their 2nd year. It will go farther, but I'm only saying this because of **Momiji. **In this story he's got to hit that growth spurt, which at the moment he's about as tall as Tohru and Catalyna, maybe a bit taller (remember they are the same body type and height).

* * *

**Chapter 12: No Chance**

"I know it was one of you."

Akito stood before the kneeling forms of Shigure and her mother Ren. After Angelo and Vanessa had made it known that they were being told Sohma secrets, she had suspected the two people before her and so informed them to meet her the next day. She had just got through explaining the situation to them, and now was going through the accusation process.

"You really think," Shigure began as he eyed the god in disbelief. "That _I_ would tell someone these things? Especially murderers?"

Akito watched him suspiciously when his expression showed true worry. She knew very well that it was a habit of Shigure's to toy with people, but she also knew that regardless of this habit, he would stay loyal to the family.

"Akito," Shigure spoke again. "I would never tell anyone." He said in a serious and firm tone.

Akito allowed her eyes to float over to the erect, but calm, form of her mother. "Ren, it was you, wasn't it?" She asked in a deadly whisper.

"It was not me!" Ren's calm demeanor dropped instantly and she stared wide eyed at her daughter. "If I were to sell you out, I would not be secretive about it!" She yelled as a psychotic expression consumed her face.

Akito nodded as she knew this was true. "Yes, how foolish I am to think you would back stab me." She slowly began to pace and she added an after thought. "You, Ren, would have no reason to hide anything. It's no secret you _hate_ me enough to destroy me."

Ren smiled and nodded in a daze. "I do hate you, Akito. I am not telling anyone secrets about the Sohmas."

Akito gazed out of the window, racking her brain for another person who would possibly be sadistic enough to tell outsiders about the secret. She knew Tohru would not, no matter how much she _wanted _the girl to be evil, she just would not tell anyone.

She looked down at the two forms, then waved her arm and turned her back to them.

"You're excused; I'll figure this out myself."

* * *

The bell sounded as Yuki opened the door to the watch shop and stepped in. He saw the same old man at the counter once again, but this time looked at him more clearly. He had short completely gray and thick hair that hung at his shoulders, and he wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with the store name on it, and as Yuki seen the man was sitting on something behind the counter, the man looked very short.

_Alright, let's do this. _Yuki gathered his thoughts as he cautiously stepped over to the counter, unacknowledged by the old man. Yuki watched as the old man continued to read something and it was starting to annoy him, so the prince cleared his throat and the old man looked up at once.

"You!" The old man spoke as he pointed a finger at Yuki. His voice was very strong and sounded young. "You, get out of here!" The old man got off of his stool, revealing himself to be very short (as Yuki had suspected) and tried to walk in to the back room.

"Wait!" Yuki followed him and the old man stopped halfway in to the room.

"You brought her here!" The old man turned and looked up at Yuki with a glare. "_You_ are not to come here anymore!"

Yuki grabbed his wrist to stop him from leaving and said in a low tone. "Look, I'm here to find out about this woman, Vanessa." Yuki seen the man stop trying to get away and so let go of his wrist. "I assumed you know a thing or two about her, since you fled the second she walked in."

The old man sighed. "Look, kid." He looked at the floor and then up at the teen. "If you're looking to find out more about them, I suggest you forget about it. You don't want trouble with those kind of people."

Yuki panicked as the old man turned around to leave again, and so spoke again to stop him. "My friend is in trouble! I have no idea what's really going on except that this _Vanessa_, "Yuki watched as the old man turned to him again, then he continued. "Wants to kill my friend."

The old man shifted his eyes around the shop, and then beckoned Yuki to follow him in to the back room.

Yuki followed and seen that this back room was not very large. It was only about three quarters of his bedroom, and as he looked around it looked as though this was the place where the watches were kept. He watched the old man place a watch on a table in the middle of the room, noticing in the corner behind the man were many boxes labeled with brand name watches such as Rolex, Gucci, Fossil, etc.

"We shall not exchange names. " The old man said as Yuki continued to stare at the boxes. "If anyone asks questions, there will be no name to give."

Yuki drew his attention away from the room and nodded to the old man. "What do you know about her?" He cut right to the point.

"I know," the old man said as he took a seat at the table and motioned for Yuki to do the same. "That _The Lorenzo's _are no family to get involved with." He folded his hands neatly on the table and then continued. "Once you get in, it's nearly impossible to get out alive. I know this because I had a _stupid_ brother who got involved with them."

Yuki nodded to show he was listening.

"This family," the old man looked around the room, searching his mind to find the right words. "I don't know what they do. They probably sell drugs or something, but I know that they also run some sort of shops out in America." He looked at the eager expression on the teen and so continued. "My brother disappeared for three months. He was found washed ashore a river some few cities away from here. Basically, he was _sleeping with the fishes_." The old man waved his arm in a direction to show this fact. "And you know why they killed him?"

Yuki shook his head. "Why?"

"Because," the old man narrowed his eyes. "He ripped them off for _money_." He leaned forward and spoke quieter. "This though, was a long time ago. This was when someone like Vanessa Lorenzo was sent out to do the dirty work. But since then, she's moved up all the way to the _top_ bosses, so for her to be out here on the field again," He shook his head with a fearful expression. "Whoever your friend is must have done something _really_ bad. I don't think they have a chance with these people."

Yuki looked at the man in confusion. "_Really_ bad?" He asked, dreading the answer. "What do you mean?"

The old man's eyed widened and he leaned back against the chair he was seated on. "They don't send out a boss to do dirty work. Your friend must have really pissed them off," He shook his head again and he closed his eyes. "I remember some years back, there was a case of suicide with some…. I think the last name was _Sohma_."

Yuki's eyes widened and he stayed quiet to hear more.

"This Sohma woman was found dead," he opened his eyes to look at the teen again and then pointed his index finger at him. "I only remember this because it was a _lie_, and because I seen her with her son." The old man reached in to his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "Her son had the most odd hair color; bright orange." He shakily stuck the cigarette in his mouth and lit the end. "I remember thinking _'how in the hell would you let a kid that young paint his hair?' _But, that's beside the point."

Yuki scrunched his nose as the smoke floated over toward him. He knew that it was Kyo who the man was talking about. Who else has orange hair in the Sohma family? Kisa, sort of, but she's a girl.

"The point is," the old man continued. "It was not suicide, it was murder. I know it was because I watched Vanessa and her_ stupid _cousin Angelo, watch her and follow her for weeks before she supposedly," He held up his fingers in quotations. "Committed _suicide._"

"Wait," Yuki stopped him before he could go on. "Who's Angelo?"

"Angelo is her cousin, and he looks just like Vanessa, but a man." He shuddered and then continued. "He's real short, bright green eyes like his stupid brother…"

Yuki interjected again with the mention of the brother. "Who's his brother?" Without directly hearing everything placed correctly, he was starting to piece the mystery together. He knew Angelo had to be the man who punched Kyo, because he remembered seeing his face; he really did look just like Vanessa.

"Who _was_ his brother…? " The old man corrected Yuki and then continued. "I don't know the whole story, but his younger brother Xavier disappeared a few years ago, and hasn't been found. I honestly think he's dead…. Probably killed by rivals."

Yuki waited for the man to continue, and he when he did not he asked another question. "Why are you willing to tell me this? Are you not scared of them?"

The old man eyed him and then answered honestly. "Look at me, I'm old." He pointed to himself. "When my time comes, I'd rather not regret keeping information that could have saved another."

_Wow, _Yuki thought,_ an old man trying to atone before his death…? Maybe… _Yuki then asked a final question, one that he feared the answer to. "What kind of things… will they do…..if the bosses were sent out to get my friend?"

The old man shook his head and looked away as his expression changed to one of disgust.

"Let me put it this way…..if you've ever had a burger, don't even _think_ about what's in the _meat_."

After awkwardly trying to thank the man for talking to him, Yuki left the watch shop feeling sick with worry and set out for home. He didn't know what he should do next, he was afraid to make any sort of move. _So much information…should I tell her? _As he walked along, he debated on whether or not he should run home as quickly as he could to speak with Tohru, or run to Uo's apartment building as quickly as he could and find Catalyna to make her spill what her intentions were. And even though he knew he should be horrified for Tohru's safety, he could not stop thinking about one thing.

_Does Kyo even know his mother was possibly murdered?_

* * *

"No, no no I can't."

After making a mad dash home and away from Vanessa, Catalyna paced in one spot for a couple hours trying to contemplate on what to do. Her mother was not home, and she had been invited to dinner with Tohru. _I can't go to dinner, how can I look at those people in this situation? _She looked at the clock and seen the time was four fifteen and wondered if Uo was home from work yet. _I could just tell Uotani-san to cancel for me, since I don't have any of their phone numbers…_

She stopped and looked around at the living room she was in. The briefcase still lay on the coffee table from earlier that morning. She decided to have a peek at the profile of Kyo again, and so picked it up and sat on the couch with it. She looked around and everything suddenly seemed to be swimming and a headache erupted some where in her brain.

"Ow…" She mumbled as she clumsily opened the suitcase with one hand and held her head with the other. The profile lay on the top and so she took it out and then placed the briefcase on the floor. She looked over the profile again, the dizziness coming back as she closed her eyes and tried to make it go away. _What the hell is wrong with me? _She could feel her face beginning to burn, but ignored it as she looked at the picture of Kyo. He was on a street corner and looked as though he were waiting to cross. It was clear the picture had been taken from a hiding place, and it was reminding her of those investigation movies where people are hired to watch suspects. _I definitely can not attend this dinner. _

A couple minutes later Catalyna stood outside of Uo's door as she knocked then waited patiently. _What am I thinking? She's probably not even home. _She turned to walk away just as the door swung open to reveal a very irritated looking Uo in her dirty work uniform that Catalyna had seen on her before.

"Hey." Uo said as her expression changed to one of delight. "What's up?"

"Hello, Uotani-san." Catalyna looked at her as her sight became a little dizzy again. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm not going to the dinner tonight."

"Whoa." Uo said as she stepped out of her door and placed her hand on the girl's forehead. "Are you sick or something? You're burning up!"

"Uh… I don't know." She closed her eyes and tried once again to rid herself of the dizziness.

Uo grabbed Catalyna as she looked like she might fall backwards and pulled her inside the apartment. "Come on." She said as she shut the door and then lead her over to the couch. "Lay down here."

Catalyna did as she was told and watched as Uo ran to her sink in the half living room half kitchen room and soaked a towel in some water. She quickly came back and placed it across her forehead.

"You know what will bring your fever down?' Uo said as she walked over to the door quickly and slid on her shoes. "Soup! I'll be right back; don't get up unless it's for the bathroom!"

Catalyna opened her mouth to protest but Uo was already gone out of the door. She sighed as she looked up at the white ceiling. _Yes, this will totally help my guilt…_

And as Catalyna lie waiting for Uo, at the home of Shigure another female was being attended to…

"Thank you so much, Hatori-san."

Tohru sat on the couch of the living room and waited patiently as Hatori finished taping up the wound that had been inflicted by Vanessa. Shigure had come home shortly after Tohru had and was accompanied by Hatori, who had been told about the wound. Of course, no one had any clue as to how it had really happened and so Hatori reluctantly did not ask her questions. Kyo had come home about an hour after that and so found Tohru lying on the couch being doctored. He had blushed as he recounted to himself how he had tried to treat the wound, but was stopped by Uotani. Now, Kyo was off somewhere in the house unknown to Tohru and she stood up as Hatori finished.

"Honda-kun, do be careful to not rip open the cut." Hatori began to pack his things just as Shigure entered the room from the kitchen where he had gone to make tea.

"Haa-san!!" Shigure held an extra cup out to Hatori, who looked at it in disgust and turned to picking up his things again.

"Really, Hatori-san," Tohru bowed slowly as Hatori stood up with his things packed away in a bag. "Thank you so very much."

Hatori smiled as she stood up straight and he pat her head. "It's no problem, just be careful."

Tohru bowed again and then slipped out of the living room and up the stairs to her room. _I wonder where Kyo-kun is….? The roof, most likely. _She closed her door as she entered her room and walked over to her book bag to find her homework. She then remembered that she had none, and so sat on her bed thinking of things she needed to do. _Maybe I should go on the roof…._

She felt herself blush as she recounted on her 'almost kiss' with Kyo. _I really should not think this way; he probably doesn't like me anyways…_ She had come to accept her feelings toward him, but was not sure what to do except have them and keep it to herself. She was not exactly sure how long she had felt this way, but with the sudden dreams of her past that started a few months back, she had tried to push her feelings away to deal with her other problems.

"Oh well…" She mumbled to herself as she stood up and walked over to her desk. Her attention had been caught by the fact that her papers were scattered all over the surface. "Now what did I do here…?" She asked as she looked over the papers and could not recall making the mess. She looked on the floor as her attention was drawn to a folded up piece of binder paper. She picked it up quickly and opened it, scanning it and seeing that it was a letter she had never given to Hanajima.

"How…?" She asked herself as she seen that the paper was a little bent on the sides, as though someone had held it rather tight.

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. _

Tohru stood still looking at the letter as she said "Come in." To the knocker of her door.

The door swung open and Tohru looked up to see Kyo step in and close the door behind him. "Hello, Kyo-kun." She greeted him politely.

"Hey." He said as he looked around nervously. He had been on the roof thinking and dwelling on the two failed 'almost kisses' between he and Tohru. _Okay, just do something. _He told himself, because while on the roof he had waited to see that when Hatori left, Shigure would walk him to his car. And as this happened, he made up his mind to go in the house and just try again, since there would most likely not be any interruptions while the two men were outside talking.

Tohru walked over to him with the letter still in her hand. "Is everything okay?' She asked, hoping he was not here to try and get her to talk about Xavier.

"Uh, yeah." He said as he looked up and tried to hold eye contact with her. He felt his face turn red as he spoke again. "I just wanted to … do something."

Tohru raised her eyebrows slightly as she set the letter face up on her bed and then stood in front of him. "What did you want to do?"

"It's uh… it's just that …I uh…" He had not wanted to really say anything, but then it might be too much if he just kissed her without explanation. So he continued as he broke the eye contact and looked around the room. "The other night, when we were …on the couch…I…"

He stopped as his eyes wandered to the letter and seen that it was the one he had read. _Oh crap, does she know I read it? _

"Yes, Kyo-kun?" Tohru urged him to continue as she watched him start to become nervous while looking at the letter. _It was him….he read it. _

Kyo looked at her and then glanced at the letter. He turned around quickly and tried to leave the room. "Never mind."

Tohru picked up the letter and grabbed his wrist to stop him. "You read this, didn't you?" She held the letter up as he turned around to face her. "You came in to my room and read my things?"

"You've been hiding things!" Kyo raised his voice as he defended himself. "What did you want me to do? You won't talk about anything!"

She took a step toward him and shoved the letter in his hand. "Read it now. Since I'm here, read it now." Her tone was sad as she sat down on her bed and waited as he scanned the letter.

_I didn't even read the whole thing, because of that stupid Rat! _He looked at the bottom and seen his name, then read the sentence that he had not been able to finish.

_I will tell you only a little and that is that I discovered something in a room, I went in to Kyo's room, and I saw something. I can't tell you what it is, but I'll tell you that it has left me really confused. I don't know what to do. _

That was the end of the letter, and so he looked at Tohru. He was confused as to what she had written about, and now he assumed she never gave it to Hanajima because of how she would have been bombarded with questions.

"So," He said as he made an attempt to ask her. "You went in my room?"

Tohru's eyes widened and she shifted her gaze around the room to avoid looking at him. "No." She said with a voice full of denial as she got up and headed straight for the door.

"Wait!" He turned around and pushed the door closed as she tried to open it. Then he leaned against it. "Talk to me."

"Kyo-kun!' She whined as she pulled at the door knob. "Let me out, please."

"No." He said firmly. "Not until you tell me what you found. " He was not mad that she had gone in his room, for he had done the same _two times _to her.

She pulled at the door knob one last time and then let her arms drop to her sides in defeat. "That's not fair; I'm not strong like you." She looked at the floor and turned to hide her face.

Kyo pushed away from the door and took a step forward so he was behind her. "Tohru, you're driving me nuts." He stated bluntly. "I'm trying to figure everything out and you're just leaving me hanging without knowing the whole truth."

She lifted her head as her heart sank. _I'm driving him nuts….I knew it. _

Kyo realized he offended her and so grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face him. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't mean _you, _I mean this situation. Don't you-no!"

He yelled as she quickly stepped forward and hugged him. With the poof and smoke around she managed to run out of the door and down the stairs.

_Okay, now to get away!_ She made to run for the door but was stopped as Shigure suddenly popped out of kitchen.

"Tohru-kun!" He exclaimed happily. "I've been looking for you!'

She stopped and walked over to him. "Yes, Shigure-san?" _Please, I need to get away from Kyo-kun! _

"You have a phone call." He pointed toward the phone that was laying on it's side.

And back upstairs…

"Dammit!!" Kyo yelled as he paced in his Cat form. _I should have known to be careful, damn I'm so stupid! _He clawed at the floor in his frustration, making scratches in the wood. _This has got to be the hundredth time she's done that. Why, why won't she just tell me?! _He hissed and scratched the open door. _What in the hell could she have found in my room? I don't keep anything important in there…do I? _

He gave up his pacing and so lay down on the floor with his paws out in front of him. _I do keep important things…but really important? Or really offensive? _

"Honda-san?"

Yuki took a long detour home and was walking in the door about ten minutes after Tohru's phone call. He had decided he might try to speak with her alone, though he doubted she would let anything slip.

"Honda-san? " He said louder again. He looked around and waited for her to reply, and instead seen Kyo rushing down the stairs with a determined look in his eyes. "Where is Honda-san?" He asked as Kyo rushed to the door and slid on his shoes.

"She left." Kyo answered quickly as he made his way over to the door.

Yuki ran up and grabbed him by the elbow. "Where did she go? I need to speak with her right away." Yuki said as seriously as he could, hoping the Cat would leave his temper behind to help the girl.

Kyo shrugged his elbow out of Yuki's grasp. "She went to Uotani's." He grumbled as he opened the door and set out.

"Hello, Yuki-kun."

Yuki turned to see Shigure entering the room with a cup of tea in hand.

"Shigure, why did she go to Uotani-san's?" Yuki asked at once.

"Oh!" Shigure instantly smiled in his dramatic way. "Uotani-san called earlier and said a 'Catalyna' is sick and she could not make it to dinner."

"She's sick?" Yuki asked as his expression changed to one of worry.

"Yuki-kuuuuunnnnn!" Shigure popped in the unsuspecting Prince's face and smiled. "Now I have to call and cancel dinner with everyone!" He sighed dramatically and headed toward the phone.

Yuki did not want to worry about Catalyna in case things turned out that she was in with these people. He decided he would wait until Tohru made it home, which she definitely would because Kyo had gone after her.

* * *

"He's really weird, but he reminds me of Tohru."

Uo had made it back from the little market down the street with some soup and a little extra food. Catalyna had protested against the acts of kindness to which Uo laughed and brushed it off while making her the food. Uo had sat and managed to finish her homework while talking with Catalyna, and she had just finished telling her a little about Kureno.

"Weird?" Catalyna asked in confusion. "How is he like Honda-san?" _I should just stop asking questions this is going to get worse and worse…_

"Well, I told you how he bumped in to me," Uo said as she sat cross legged on the floor and slurped some ramen she had made for herself. "And then he bowed and dropped everything, she would _totally_ do that. Actually, she has but I just can't remember when exactly."

Catalyna smiled weakly. Her fever was down and now she just felt light headed and weak. Her guilt trip was at it's highest and her mind was raging on the subject. _How in the hell am I supposed to look these people in the eye? Especially her, she's sitting here and taking care of me like a real friend, and my mom is off doing god knows what. I feel like such an idiot, this is all going to turn out really bad. _

Uo placed her empty bowl and sticks on the nearby center table and then sat up on her knees and felt Catalyna's forehead. "I think you'll be ready to go by tomorrow." She got to her feet and took her bowl to the sink. "Maybe you should skip school." She suggested.

Catalyna sat up and shook her head. "No, I can't miss any school. I don't want to." She looked at her lap to avoid making any eye contact.

Uo shrugged as she came back over and sat down again. "Whatever's cool with you."

And down the sidewalk outside of the apartment the Onigiri was being pursued by the Cat…

"Tohru! Wait!"

Tohru was walking really fast toward Uo's apartment building. She had left long before Kyo had, but with his running speed he was just about to catch up with her.

Tohru ignored the yell as she made it to the gate surrounding the apartment building. Then just as he did before with the door, he ran up behind her and pushed the gate closed. She turned around and tried to glare at him in an attempt to make him back away, but he just placed a hand on either side of her and cornered her between him and the gate.

"Stop." He said breathless from his mad dash to catch up with her. "Can you just stop…running from me…"

She looked away and seen there were a few people walking up and down the streets, which meant she could not hug him this time. "Kyo-kun, please don't ask me to talk right now."

"Why?" He asked as he tried to hold eye contact with her. "When are you _actually _going to talk to me? Do I have to sit here and wait like an idiot?" He looked at their position and realized she might try to hug him, so he removed his hands from the gate and instead pinned her arms down to her side.

"What are you-?" Tohru started as she tried to squirm to get away. "Let me go."

Kyo pulled her toward him and brought his face close hers. "Look," He started as calmly as possible. "That damn Rat told me that some _woman_ claimed to be the one who cut you."

Tohru stopped trying to get away and she looked at him. "Y-Yuki-kun said that?!" She asked with a starting panic.

Kyo nodded. "She wouldn't give him a name, so what is it?"

"Um…"

"Tohru! Orangey!"

Tohru was spared of answering his question as the voice of Uo rang out behind them. Kyo backed off of her immediately in fear of being hit and Tohru took her chance to open the gate and trot over to her waiting friend.

Kyo followed the two girls in to Uo's apartment and looked around. He seen Catalyna laying on the couch underneath some blankets and then remembered that Shigure had said she was sick.

"Lyna-kun!" Tohru kneeled next to the couch and Catalyna sat up immediately in shock.

"H-Honda-san!" Catalyna looked over to the door and seen Kyo standing there. "And Sohma-san!"

Kyo scrunched his nose. _I hate being called that…_

"Lyna-kun," Tohru patted the girl's lap. "Kyo-kun doesn't like being called that, you should call him by his name."

"Uh…" Catalyna looked at the orange top confused. "Just….'Kyo'?" She asked him uncertainly.

"Call him Kyon!" Uo suggested as she walked over and gave Tohru a cup of tea. "That's what I call him, that or Orangey," She turned and smirked at him. "I think he _loves_ that one."

"Shut up." He said as he walked over and sat down next to Tohru. Uo gave him a cup of tea and he mumbled a word of thanks. "My first name is fine, I don't really care." He said to Catalyna who still wore a questioning expression.

"Oh, okay." She nodded and then looked at Tohru. "What are you doing here? Did you already have your dinner?"

Tohru shook her head. "No, I canceled it." She smiled and then pressed her hand to Catalyna's forehead.

"WAH?!" Catalyna exclaimed and Tohru pulled her hand away in surprise. "Why did you cancel it?"

"Because," Tohru glanced at Uo quickly and then turned back to the girl. "I wanted to come and see how _you_ were feeling."

_Oh man! _Catalyna felt her guilt trip hit the peak and she lowered her head in shame. "You're so kind, you shouldn't have done that…"

"I tried to tell her no." Uo said as she sat down on the other side of Tohru. "But Miss 'save the world' over here insisted on coming by." Uo nodded her head in Tohru's direction.

Catalyna looked at the two girls. "You really are too kind. I'm not a good person and you are taking care of me…"

"Uwah!" Tohru exclaimed in reaction to her words. "Lyna-kun, you are a good person!"

Kyo looked between all of the girls. _Great, here she goes off to lift another's spirits. _

Catalyna shook her head. "No, I've done some horrible things to people…" She looked down as hot tears formed in her eyes. "I don't deserve to be treated this way."

"Hey," Uo said as she pointed a finger at the now crying girl. "I was in a gang, remember? What's worse than that besides _murder _or rape?"

Tohru's head snapped in her friend's direction. _Murder…is the worst…._ She pushed away the thoughts coming to her mind and turned back to Catalyna.

"But I…" Catalyna tried to protest.

"Whatever you did _then," _Uo waved her arms behind her to indicate the past. "Does not apply here." She pointed to the floor to indicate the present. "You're not being an ass, so _I'm_ not being an ass." She pointed to herself and then pointed to Tohru. "She'd never turn anything or anyone away for any reason." She looked at Kyo with amusement. "I think _he's _just along for the ride." She pointed past Tohru at him as he rolled his eyes and grunted.

"Lyna-kun, let us help you." Tohru asked with pleading and sincere eyes. "You are new here, so you need all the help from us that you can get!" She smiled at her happily. "Now let's take your temperature and we'll go from there…. Uo-chan, where's the thermometer?"

Catalyna nodded subconsciously as her tears ceased. _I'm done. That's it. I'm going to make sure they don't harm these people, it's just not fair…. _

…_I won't let these people be the reason they get locked up. _

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, that one took me longer than I thought it would. I've started pounding on the ideas and they keep coming in truck loads. I've basically got this whole thing planned out, but I'm still open to suggestions! I am working on more romance between Kyo and Tohru, and trust me there will **definitely** be more. I have another couple to work on though too, and I'm not telling who it is, you have to guess! Oh! I wonder if you guys can guess who another couple will be?? Guess guess guess! Now show me some love and send me some feedback!! And suggestions and guesses and yeahhhhh!! Review review show me the love!!


	13. Natural Color

**A/N: **Thanks for sticking with me readers! I luv you all! And I have to say those are great guesses for possible couples! But, keep in mind that there are more Sohmas and Catalyna was introduced to Kakeru….hee hee. So ya never know! Oh yeah and I forgot to put it in the last chapter but I feel stupid for sending a stupid reply to **Kyki-The Late Night Writer, **I was like totally out of it when I replied XD yeah I feel dumb so if you read this sorry about that.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Natural Color**

_His body moved closer to hers as she watched him in disbelief and confusion. His fingers closed around her upper arm and she blushed when his other hand ran through her hair and he pulled her in to a one-arm hug. _

"_Tohru…" He said her name while the tears ran down his face and fell on her bare arms and legs. "…Tohru!"_

_The hug only lasted a moment before he changed in to a cat and clung to her lap. Tohru looked down at his peaceful expression. "Kyo-kun…?" She smiled when he did not reply. _

_She scooped his small feline form in to her arms and bent down to pick up his clothes. But as she stood up from grabbing his pants, she seemed to be watching the scene from far off. _

"_What…?" Tohru watched herself from a ways away hold Kyo to her chest contentedly. As the 'Tohru' she was watching turned to face her, the form changed in to the angry Vanessa. _

"_Kyo-kun!" She screamed as Vanessa held him out by the skin of his neck and he let out a loud "MEOW!" in pain. She tried to run to him but the more she pushed the farther away she got. _

"_Stupid girl…" The low voice of Vanessa spoke as the woodsy clearing melted away to be replaced by a dungeon-like room. "Your weakness is too obvious…" _

"_Kyo-kun!" Tohru yelled again as Vanessa dropped him to the floor, which he landed on his feet and scurried toward Tohru's direction. She kneeled down to pick him up, but was cut off as a cage large enough for a human suddenly dropped from the ceiling around Kyo._

_POOF! _

_Kyo changed back to human and lay in the middle of the cage completely naked. "Tohru…" He groaned as he slowly got to his feet and was suddenly wearing an old dirty black robe. _

"_Kyo-kun!" Tohru grabbed the bars with one hand and slipped her other arm through to reach for him. "We haven't graduated! You can't be confined yet!" _

"Kyo…."

_He came up to her and she grabbed the front of his robe and pulled him as close as she could regardless of the bars. He reached his hands through and grabbed her shoulders. "Akito doesn't care…" He spoke quietly. _

_She looked in to his eyes as she began to cry. "I'll get you out…I can't go on if you're not with me…" She sobbed and wished with all her might for the bars to disappear. _

_He smiled sadly and tilted her chin up so she could look at him. "That makes me happy…but sad." _

_She tried to say something else but suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her hair from behind and pulled her away from the cage. _

"_No! Kyo-kun!" She screamed as she realized it was Vanessa who was pulling her away from him. _

"No…"

"_You'll never win against us…" Vanessa stopped and threw her on the floor. "Ignorant fool." _

_Tohru ignored Vanessa and looked back at the now disappearing cage. _

"_Kyo-kun! No, don't go!" _

_But he could not hear her…_

"NO, KYO-KUN!!"

Tohru jolted up in to a sitting position in her bed as she woke up from the nightmare. She breathed heavily and looked around her room, relieved that it had only been a dream.

The sound of running could be heard coming up the stairs and she turned as her door was quickly opened.

"Tohru!"

Kyo stood in the door way breathing heavily because he had run all the way up the stairs when she had screamed his name. He was in his school uniform, as it was a Wednesday and he had been getting ready.

Tohru ran the back of her hand across her forehead to wipe the sweat away. Even though it had been a dream, it was reassuring to see him standing in her doorway. "Kyo-kun…" She said weakly.

"What's wrong?" He walked over and sat on the bed next to her. "Are you okay?" He asked with his voice full of worry.

She sighed and nodded. "I'm okay; it was just a bad dream that seemed real." She gave him a small smile that quickly changed to a frown as she began to sob. "It was a _really_ bad dream…"

"Hey, it's alright." He tried to soothe her as she began to cry harder and placed a hand on her forearm. "It was just a dream."

_Oh no, I must look silly, _she thought to herself as she wiped her eyes. "You're right, I shouldn't be sad about it." She sniffed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, hoping that a conversation may lead to the truth.

Tohru shook her head and smiled. "No, it's okay."

After that incident the two got ready and headed off for school. It had been almost a month since Catalyna had fallen sick and been nursed back to health by Uo and Tohru, which meant it was now definitely cold and most students had turned in their summer uniforms for the winter ones. Within the time that had passed no one was able to make any progess with their individual goals. Yuki had not stumbled upon an opportunity to talk to Tohru or Catalyna, and so stood by and made sure that nothing was to happen. Kyo had been unsuccessful in speaking to Tohru, who had completely closed up and seemed farther away from telling the truth than ever. Akito still had not discovered who was spilling the Sohma secrets and seemed to be running out of ideas. Catalyna had decided on telling her new friends about her intentions and about her true past, but still had not found the _guts_ or opportunity.

"Momiji-kuuuunnnnn!"

Catalyna trotted down the hall after school towards the waiting Momiji, who was standing with Kyo by some lockers in the not so crowded hallway. During the passing time she had come to meet Hatsuharu, and had grown a little close to the group. In particular, she had become good friends with Uo, Tohru and Momiji; everyone else seemed more difficult to speak with.

"Lyna-kun!" Momiji smiled at Catalyna happily as she stopped in front of him. "Let's walk home together."

Catalyna smiled and laughed. "Momiji-kun, we always do." She playfully patted his shoulder.

"I'm going to get Tohru, and then we can go!" Momiji turned around and started off down the hall towards Tohru's last class of the day.

_Oh dear…_ Catalyna seen that she was now alone with Kyo, which she did not mind, but she was more scared of him being in a bad mood. She glanced at him as he stood with his hands in his pockets and staring off in to space; he was one of the people who had not yet started wearing long sleeves. As she thought of a way to speak to him, the words of her mother from the morning came floating in to her brain…

"_Catalyna, you know what could move your job faster?"_

_Catalyna turned to her mother from the front door, where she was about to leave for school. "What?" She asked, even though she was no longer doing her job. _

"_You should hug him," Florentina suggested. "Then he'll be forced to explain the curse to you." _

Catalyna shook her head lightly to rid herself of the thought. _No, I can't do that, it's not right…_

"Hey, Sohma!"

Catalyna and Kyo both turned in the direction of the shout only to see a boy with a couple friends walking down the hall. The boy who had spoken ruffled his hair and then shouted again. "Need some dye? Pretty stupid to let your roots show! Ha ha ha ha!"

The boy and his friends continued walking down the hall laughing all along.

Kyo did not respond, he just furrowed his brows slightly and shook his head. _Bunch of morons…_

"That's pretty stupid."

Kyo looked at Catalyna as she spoke with a questioning voice. "Huh?" He asked.

She looked at him with a question filled expression. "I don't understand how they can say you dye your hair." She pointed to his orange top. "It makes sense when you just _observe_." During the month or so she had been at the school, she had seen how many people poke at his hair; mostly Uo, who only did it to get a rise out of him.

Kyo cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. "What does that mean 'when you just _observe_', huh?" He asked while repeating her words.

She reached out and cautiously took his wrist and lifted it so his bare fore arm was now visible to them both. With her other hand she pointed to his skin. "Arm hair…"

"What?" He asked, completely lost as to what she meant.

"Arm hair." She said again while letting his wrist go and looking at him. "Who really dyes their arm hair? Yours is orange, so it has to be your natural color."

He looked at his own arm, now realizing what she was talking about. _That's true, that's one way to prove it. _It was not so vibrant and long that it was noticeable; it was the kind of arm hair you had to look directly at to notice the color.

"I just meant that people should observe things like that." Catalyna said quickly when he did not respond. "I didn't mean anything offensive by it!"

Kyo shook his head, realizing he must seem angry. "No, I'm not offended. I'm just surprised because no one's said that before."

"Oh." Catalyna said. _Maybe he's easier to talk to than I thought, and I've just been making it hard. _

"Lyna-kun!"

Tohru called to Catalyna as she and Momiji walked toward the two side by side, closely followed by Hatsuharu.

Momiji smiled at Tohru. "I like her, she's cute!" Momiji said referring to Catalyna. "She's really fun and nice! Too bad I can't give her a hug, though."

Haru bopped Momiji in the back of the head. "You already like her? That's pretty fast."

"That's wonderful Momiji-kun!" Tohru turned to him enthusiastically and smiled. "She's very nice!"

Momiji glanced at the now lightly talking Kyo and Catalyna, making sure they were out of ear shot. "I only like her a little bit, and nothing would come of it if I liked her more. Just because she's nice doesn't mean she'll accept the curse like _you_."

Haru looked at Momiji sadly. He had a hunch that Momiji was shifting his feelings purposely because he seen no hope with Tohru, which was sad because one person should like another person _because_ they like them, not because they want to get over _another_ person.

"Hello Lyna-kun, Kyo-kun." Tohru greeted the two as they stepped up. "Ready to walk home?"

"I have to go to the dojo." Kyo said at once. "I'll go home in a couple hours."

"I want to go too." Haru said as he put his arm on Kyo's shoulder. "I could use a little practice."

"Whatever, let's just go." Kyo shrugged Haru off of him and the two set off in the opposite direction than the other three were heading.

Tohru lowered her head as they walked down the hallway. _Kyo-kun didn't say anything to me…why? _

"Honda-san, are you alright?"

Tohru looked up at the voice of Catalyna and shoved her thoughts away. "Yes! I'm having a dinner tonight to make up for the one that I canceled!" She said this quickly to avert the conversation from her.

"That's right!" Momiji chimed as he looked from left to right and smiled at the two girls (he's in the middle). He took their hands closest to him, causing Catalyna to blush and Tohru to smile.

As they walked off a certain gray haired Prince watched them outside of the student council room. _This girl acts so happy with them, how do I figure out whether or not she's trust worthy? _Yuki no longer knew if he should think that Catalyna was genuine or kind, and so tried to avoid walking home with her at all costs.

He heaved a sigh and then turned and stepped in to the council room; the only other person present besides himself was Machi. She sat at a desk and was scanning over some papers as her brown hair fell gracefully on the sides of her face.

"So, Machi," Yuki walked over and took a seat in a chair next to her. "How are you doing with your work?"

Machi looked up at him with a confused look. "Fine." She responded in her sad tone. "It's only reading schedules."

Yuki nodded and watched her turn back to her papers. He had been so worried about Tohru that he had neglected to deepen his friendship with Machi, which now he wanted to kick himself for. It was not that he wanted to be best friends with her, but if she opened up a little it may stop her violent tantrums of breaking things.

_Yup, I want to talk to her more. _He tapped his fingers on the desk surface in an attempt to indirectly get her attention; it worked as she looked up at him with a blank expression.

"Do you have to patrol?" She asked with a hint of 'you're annoying me' in her voice. "Because you really should do your job, President."

Yuki tilted his head. "Why do you always address me as 'President'? You could just use my first name." He watched her as her cheeks tinged pink and she looked as though she were trying her hardest to concentrate on the papers in front of her.

"I need to go home." She stood up quickly and picked up her book bag off the floor, and then bowed to Yuki without looking at him. "Good day, President." She turned and all but ran out of the council room.

"Bye…" Yuki trailed off and stared at the doorway. _Did I do something wrong? _He did not think he had, but she seemed really embarrassed. _Maybe she is just too difficult to reach…_

With that last thought he got to his feet and walked out of the room to start his patrolling.

* * *

The scratching of a pencil on paper could be heard through out the house of a particular Sohma. He sat in his kitchen at the table, frantically writing a letter and sweating bullets with a frightened expression. His hair was black and his letter was addressed to Kyo. He finished the letter without a signature, for it had no special purpose; it was only to be given to _Kyo_. He folded the binder paper in half and moved it to the middle of the table.

_CLICK._

He turned in his seat at the sound of a gun being cocked. Behind him stood the woman who had killed his wife many years ago, pointing a hand gun directly at him. She was a few feet away as he addressed her.

"Vanessa."

"Mr. Sohma." She mocked as she began to tap the end of the gun in her palm. "How are you today?"

"If you're here to kill me, just do it." He said without an ounce of interest. "I have nothing to live for."

Vanessa smiled evilly and laughed. "What about your precious son? Doesn't he mean _anything_ to you?"

Mr. Sohma looked away in disgust. "That _monster_ is not my son…" He whispered.

"That's right!' Vanessa suddenly had an expression of sarcastic excitement. "Thank you for that bit of information. I must say it's not that terrible a secret." She continued to tap the end of the gun. "I've seen _worse_ things than people turning in to _animals_."

"I'm sure you have." Mr. Sohma looked up at her with a menacing glare. "You should have killed me with my wife…"

"No, no, no." Vanessa shook her finger in a sickly sweet way. "If we would have done _that_, than we would not have had anyone to tell us any information." She smiled as he kept his glare. "My, are we angry?"

"I don't give a damn," He said as his face began to relax. "What you choose to do with the information I've given you." He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. "Just be done with it and kill me…"

Vanessa frowned and then shrugged. "Alright, but keep in mind, I would not have to kill you if _you _had not gone and blabbed this information to _Florentina_." She spat the name and pointed the gun at him. "Any last words before you burn in hell?" She asked in a bored tone.

Mr. Sohma looked around his home one last time, and then shook his head. "None."

Vanessa frowned again. "Oh," She said in a disappointed tone. "That's boring, I _love_ hearing last words….."

_BANG!_

And as Mr. Sohma dropped to the floor, two females bid goodbye to a rabbit…

"Bye, Momiji-kun!"

Momiji turned and waved goodbye to Tohru and Catalyna as they reached their normal parting point. The two girls then set off together as they normally did, chatting about school and other things. Tohru mostly chatting, Catalyna mostly listening and adding her input here and there.

"I really hope you'll like the Culture fest when the time comes! It's almost going to be time for it!" Tohru rambled on about the fest to avoid talking about anything serious. "Last year our class had an Onigiri sale, it was really successful because Yuki-kun wore a dress and everyone wanted to see, so they would buy some and come see!"

Catalyna's eyes widened and she smiled. "He wore a dress?!"

"Uh…" Tohru cupped her hand to her mouth. _Oh no! I don't think Yuki-kun will appreciate me repeating that experience when he disliked it so! _"He did, but please don't tell him I told you!"

Catalyna nodded. "Okay, I won't."

Out of the corner of her eye Catalyna seen the dark form of a man watching them from far away and across the street. She turned to look at him but he was already gone. _No, they can't be here right now…_

Tohru sighed in relief. "Thank you Lyna-kun, I don't want him to be-"

"Let's walk fast!" Catalyna cut her off in an attempt to make her hurry away from any danger. "We can power-walk across the street!" She pointed to the cross walk as they reached the corner.

"Oh, okay!" Tohru's brows turned at an angle as her determined expression took over her face and she raised her fist in the air. "I, Tohru Honda, will race Lyna-kun when it is safe to cross!"

"Heh heh heh, stupid girl…"

The two girls turned to see the dark form of Angelo leaning against the wall of the building on the corner. Catalyna stepped in front of Tohru in a protective manner and held her arms out as a fearful expression spread across her face.

"No, Angelo, you won't hurt her!" Catalyna said bravely, despite her shaking voice and body. "I won't let you or Vanessa do anything to these people!" _I have to be brave; I have to be brave…_

"L-Lyna-kun! How do _you_ know him?" Tohru asked frantically as she stood behind her.

"Never mind that now, just hurry home!" Catalyna turned her head and nodded to the street as the light signaled it was safe to cross. "Go home!"

Tohru turned and ran away reluctantly.

"You are stupid too, Catalyna." Angelo stepped up to her as she lowered her arms. "You _think_ you can stand up to us, but you can't."

"Y-yes I can!" She narrowed her eyes at him and tried to show bravery. "I have been for the past few years."

Angelo looked around and seen that a passerby was watching them, so he grabbed her by her shoulders and embraced her in what would seem like a loving way. "Oh, my darling relative…"

Catalyna tensed up but let him hug her. "Let me go…"

"Catalyna," Angelo whispered in a warning tone. "You and your stupid mother had better leave Japan soon." He dropped his voice lower and whispered quieter.

"Or I'll kill you…"

Just like with Vanessa, Catalyna pulled away and ran across the street. She did not look back as she ran to no where in particular. _I have to tell her, I have to warn her and everyone else. I have to, I absolutely have to! But I don't know where they live…_

As she turned a corner her wish was answered; the orange haired boy who could not be missed was walking on the side walk across the street. She ran across the street and yelled for him.

"Kyo!!"

He turned and stopped, waiting for her to catch up with him. _What does she want…? _As she stopped in front of him gasping for air he reached out his hand and pat her shoulder in what he thought was a friendly way. "Why are you running?"

"Take me--to her--please!" Catalyna gasped as she clutched her side and stood straight. "I need to--see Honda-san right now!"

"What? Why?" Kyo asked as he removed his hand from her shoulder. "Is it something important?"

"Yes!" Catalyna exclaimed as she reached out and grabbed him by the front of his shirt aggressively and pulled. "It's important! Please, I have to talk to her _now_!"

Kyo pulled away in alarm, fearing a transformation. "Alright, come on then." He turned and beckoned her to follow.

About thirty minutes later Kyo walked in to the house alone; Catalyna wanted to wait outside. He stepped in to the kitchen and seen Tohru preparing a dinner.

"Hey, Tohru."

Tohru turned around quickly with a worried expression. "Y-yes?" She stuttered.

"That new girl is here to see you," He pointed toward the general direction of 'outside'. "She says it's important."

Without a word Tohru dashed past Kyo and ran outside to find Catalyna standing far off by a tree. She ran over to her and began to frantically ask questions.

"Lyna-kun what's going on? How do you know Angelo? What did he do to you he's dangerous and what do you mean what's going on-?"

"Please, stop!" Catalyna cut her off and looked at her. "You have to let me explain."

Tohru placed her hand on her shoulder. "What is there to explain?"

Catalyna pulled away and stepped off a bit while shaking her head. "Don't make any comforting gestures, I _don't_ deserve it…" She felt hot tears begin to run down her cheeks and she did not bother to wipe them away. "I've been the worst to all of you, even though you've been so kind to me…"

Tohru watched her, uncertain as to what she should do. "Lyna-kun, how are you the wors-?"

"I know _all _about Xavier!" Catalyna snapped as she looked at the now shocked girl and continued.

"I know all about _you_ and the _Sohmas_! Xavier was my uncle, and I know about the _curse_!"

* * *

"What's going on out there?"

An hour later the dinner guests had arrived; Momiji, Haru, Uo and Hanajima all sat around the living room table and waited patiently. Yuki had arrived home now and so he and the other two male residents sat patiently too. Everyone turned to the perverted writer, who had asked the question.

"I don't know, but she was really upset." Kyo tried to explain a little about Catalyna. "She ran up to me and demanded to see her."

"That's right; we left because Shihan was not at the dojo." Haru pointed out. "What could they be talking about?"

On cue the front door opened and the two girls walked in; both of their faces tear stained and their eyes swollen from crying.

"Hey," Uo lifted her head and looked at them. "What's going on?"

Tohru and Catalyna stood side by side, Catalyna looking at the floor and Tohru looking at everyone before them. She decided to speak first.

"Um, everything has been so confusing…" Tohru began shakily. "Lately, everyone has been wondering what's going on…"

Shigure now lifted his head, finding interest in the situation. "Tohru-kun, is this the young lady everyone has been speaking of?" He waved his hand around the table. "Kyo-kun says she had something important to tell you."

"Um yes, she did tell me something important…" Tohru turned to Catalyna and took her hand. "Lyna-kun, we should tell everyone the _truth_ now."

At her words everyone sat up straighter and watched as Tohru pat Catalyna on the shoulder with her other hand and she finally raised her face to look at everyone.

"I'm sorry…" Catalyna began weakly. "I've realized Honda-san and my paths have become too involved with one another…."

"We need to tell you all together." Tohru further explained Catalyna's words at everyone's confused expressions. "Otherwise it will be unclear and choppy."

Everyone watched as Tohru silently convinced Catalyna to sit on the floor with her. The two sat facing everyone and Tohru began…

"It seems that after I discovered Xavier-san was a drug user, Lyna-kun's complicated life in America had just begun…"

* * *

**A/N: **Ha ha cliff hanger! And it's shorter so that the next one is longer, kk? Okay now that I'm done with this I have a few things to say to my **readers**. **First** is thank you to those who give me feedback. **Second** is I really wish I would get more feedback so I'll know whether or not you guys really want me to continue this or move on to another story. **Third** I really need suggestions and ideas! I have the general idea, but like with other stuff! What do you guys want to see happen and stuff like that! I'm not ignoring the **Steamy-ness **review I received; I'm just getting the confessions out of the way first. So please please please let me know if you guys want this to continue or what. It's a little strange when I have like 23 hits and then like only 3 reviews for that chapter. **So please guys give me some feedback with ideas I need them really bad!**


	14. The Webs We Weave

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, or Furuba sadly. **

**A/N: **Wow thank you guys! I'll thank the individuals who left anonymous reviews on this chapter: **hrtSakura **(are you the same one?) **Tawny and Horseprincess. **And thank you to all of my regular reviewers! I liked the suggestions too. **It is important to know this: **For this chapter, the confessional parts will be told from each girl's point of view, that is the emotional and things they were feeling and stuff. Their thoughts and feelings will be in italics and the rest of what's happening will be told normal, but as you all know it's in the past

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Webs We Weave…**

_When I moved to North America, I had been moving from the wonderful place called South America. I did not want to move; I was only eleven and I did not understand anything that was going on. We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and I was not happy…_

"Mom, Dad, it's not that different."

The young Catalyna sat comfortably on the apartment living room floor with her legs crossed Indian style. She looked from her mother to her father, trying to convince them without the millions of words she had already spoken.

"Sweetheart, you'll love it here." Catalyna's father spoke with a low but kind and gentle voice. He was very tall, above six feet, and had a thin build and square metal-rimmed black glasses resting on his nose that clashed horribly with his light skin. His overall appearance seemed like he spent most of his child hood pouring over Star Wars books and pretending to be Yoda with a fake 'force'.

Catalyna began to pout her lip out, a habit her mother had come to find very annoying for a young lady.

"Catalyna, do not pout at your father." Her mother spoke firmly but gently, and pointed toward the girl's bedroom to signal 'go to bed'.

"Darn…" Catalyna got up off the floor and hugged each of her parent's goodnight, and then ran in to her room and shut the door behind her. "I don't want to go to school tomorrow." She pouted to herself as she dressed in her pajamas which consisted of a t-shirt and shorts, and then shut off her light and climbed in to bed. She looked at the time and seen it was now ten thirty four, and she was not the least bit tired.

"I should be asleep already." She whispered to herself. She shut her eyes and tried to count to one hundred, a trick her father had taught her to fall asleep. Just as she reached number forty seven, she could hear the voices of her mother and father arguing as quietly as they could.

She quickly got out of bed and opened her door a slit; enough to hear and see the conversation.

"Jesse, we can't just tell her!" She watched her mother and father as they sat on the couch facing one another. Her mother was trying to convince her father of something she had not caught in time.

"Well, what are we supposed to do if he shows up out here?" Her father asked in a worried tone. "He's a murdering lunatic, who knows what he'll do."

Catalyna watched as her mother folded her arms across her chest stubbornly and she wondered who they were saying is a 'murderer'.

"Look, Florentina," Her father scooted closer to her mother and put his arm around her lovingly. "I don't want her to know either, but if it can save her, don't you think it's worth it?"

Florentina shifted her eyes around the room, and then sighed in defeat. "Yes, it would be worth it, but when should we…?"

"Tomorrow." Jesse grabbed her hand gently and kissed her fingers. "You should go make sure she's sleeping."

Catalyna darted to her bed as her mother got off the couch and headed toward her door. She turned and tried to act like she was asleep.

The creak of the door opening was followed by her mother's voice. "Catalyna, are you asleep?"

Catalyna did not respond, and then she heard the creak of the door shutting. With her mother safely out of the room she turned over and faced the ceiling, wondering what her parents could possibly need to tell her about a murderer.

The next afternoon Catalyna had made it through her entire school day, which she thought was boring. It was a little cold and where she now lived did not sell jackets since it's mostly hot in Florida, and so she shivered slightly at the eighty degree weather. She now was walking home, her school day consisting of walking between seven classes at a one story middle school that was fairly old and had a population of maybe some two hundred students.

"_Stupid_ place…" She kept mumbling things like this to herself all the way down the busy sidewalk, hoping that some magic would be granted and she could go back to her wonderful life in South America. "Dumb place…"

As her feet turned her down the street leading to the apartment building she now lived in, she noticed a long white limo parked at the very end, far away from everything. It looked magnificent, like some kind of celebrity was in the back. She kept walking slowly without taking her eyes off of it and soon reached the gate that circled the building. She looked around and then made her way through the entrance and in to the small apartment.

"Catalyna, we need to talk to you."

A few hours after she had arrived home she was sitting at the eating table cross legged on the floor right in front of her parents who were sitting on the couch. She looked up at their serious expressions, getting the feeling that it was about the conversation she overheard the other night.

She had been working on some home work and so set down her pencil on top of the unfinished question worksheet and gave the two her full attention. "Okay."

"This is really," Her father glanced at her mother as his expression showed he was searching for a right word. "Shocking, and not very _fair_ to you…"

"You see, sweetheart," her mother placed her hand on her father's knee and glanced at him with the worry etched across her features. "We moved here for a reason, and it's because…" She trailed off and looked to the father for help.

Jesse looked at the wonder filled face of his daughter and then proceeded with the truth. "There's a _man_ who we need to stay away from… he doesn't like _me_ very much because…"

Catalyna watched as her parents kept nervously trying to pass the words to one another, and she tried to urge them on. "What is it?" She asked in her innocent voice.

"Catalyna," Her father sat up straight and looked her directly in the eyes. "_I'm_ not your _real_ father."

_My heart sank when I heard those words; it was like being slapped in the face by the person you trusted and loved the most. Mom and Dad proceeded to tell me that my real father's name was Angelo Lorenzo; he was a distant cousin of the man I had grown to know as my father, Jesse Lorenzo. Mom told me that she and the man called Angelo, had a brief relationship in which she got pregnant. When she told him, he slapped her and wanted nothing to do with her; then she met Jesse. He picked her life back up and when I was born Angelo signed over his parental rights to him, and then went on his way. But apparently he had shown up at our home in South America one year before we moved, demanding that I join his 'family' and help with the rivalries and business. When my mom refused he threatened to kill my father, and so we skipped town and moved to the United States. After they informed me, they warned me to never speak to him if I were to run in to him…_

_But I was a pretty smart kid…_

Weeks after being informed of her real father, Catalyna set out and searched her entire house for legal records. One day when her Mom and Dad were gone, she quickly searched through her birth records and found a picture of the man Angelo; he was short, dark, and looked as though he were a business man. She decided that was all she could do for now; know what he looks like.

"I'm hungry…" Catalyna put the records back and then left her apartment and made her way to the small Quick Stop that was conveniently across the street. Before she could enter though, the long white limousine she had seen before caught her eye.

It was at the end of the street and there was a man leaning against it. A tall man who was tan and wearing a black suit. She decided she was too hungry to think about anything other than eating, so she walked in to the small store and grabbed a pack of gummy worms from isle four, then paid and made her way out of the store.

"Oh!" She gasped as she accidentally ran in to the abdomen of the man who she had seen leaning against the limo. "Uh s-s-sorry, excuse me." She stuttered as she walked around him.

"You're cute."

She turned around at the sound of the low monotone voice of the tall man; she seen that up close he looked mid-aged and his shoulder length black hair was slicked back. The thing that struck her most was his eyes; the brightest green she had ever seen in her life.

"Hello." He turned around and stuck his hand out with a friendly smile. "My name is Xavier, what is yours?"

She looked at his large hand suspiciously, knowing that she was not supposed to talk to strangers. But as she looked up at him, his genuine smile won her over and so she took his hand and shook it firmly. "I'm Catalyna."

"Catalyna." He repeated her name in his monotone dully. "That's a very pretty name; how old are you, Catalyna?"

Catalyna smiled now and folded her hands together behind her back. "I'm eleven, but I'm going to be _twelve_ this month." She said with a little enthusiasm.

"So you're a Libra…" He trailed off as he studied her face. "I hear Libras are very kind, is that true?"

"Well, my Dad's a Libra and he's the nicest man ever!" She smiled at the thought of her father; but then her mind began to spin. Jesse was a Libra, but she had no clue about the man Angelo.

"Judging by first impression," He smiled at her again. "Libras seem very kind."

_That one encounter changed everything… but as I was just meeting this man, he was being fretted over somewhere across the seas and in the place called Japan…_

* * *

"Mom, can I ask you something?"

Months after discovering the syringe in the pocket of Xavier, little Tohru tried to pluck up the courage to speak to her mother about it. Since the man had left on some sort of business trip and was currently away, the girl took her chance as she stood washing dishes with her mother at night.

Kyoko turned to her daughter. "Yeah, sure." She nodded as she scraped some leftovers in to a plastic container.

Tohru shut the faucet off and turned to her mother. "Does Xavier-san have diabetes?"

Kyoko shook her head and smiled. "Are you kidding? Have you seen how much chocolate and candy that man eats?" She laughed as she put the lid on the container and walked over to the fridge. "I think he would be dead by now if he did." She opened the fridge door and disappeared as she searched for a place to store the food. "Why do you ask, Tohru?"

"Eh?!" Tohru exclaimed, not expecting her mom to ask why. "I was just curious!" She searched her brain and quickly sputtered. "I-I seen him with s-some vegetables and he seemed worried about his health!!"

Kyoko stood up and shut the fridge door. "Okay.." She leaned against the fridge and folded her arms, giving Tohru a suspicious look. "What's _really _going on?"

"Uh, um…that is…uh…" Tohru fiddled around with her fingers and then decided the truth would be best. "I found a syringe in his pocket…a few months ago."

She looked up as her mom cocked an eyebrow and then stood up straight and made to walk out of the kitchen. "Oh." Was all she said as she disappeared in to the living room.

_I couldn't believe Mom just brushed it off. I did not want to tell her, but at that point in time I had come to find that Xavier-san really was a drug addict. I had found a small pouch of white powder in his vehicle when he drove us to the store, which I later discovered was cocaine. Then, I came home and seen him sticking the needle in his arm; he was getting high on heroin. Another thing I had not had the courage to tell her was that he was bringing people over to the house while she was at work. I came home after school and he had a couple people there who looked just like him; business like. After I asked my mom, a year passed and everything got worse…_

**North America, one year later: **

"But I really miss my friend!"

The now thirteen year old Catalyna sat comfortably in the passenger side of the red car as she was being driven to school. Her father Jesse was the driver and she had convinced him that she wanted to be dropped off at school because her knees were hurting . In truth, she had not wanted to walk to school because she would be by herself. A year ago she had met the man Xavier, and from that day he had walked with her to school and a little ways after school, but he had left the country about four months before and was to return within a few days; she could not wait.

"Who is this friend?" Her father asked as he glanced at her suspiciously. "You talk about this friend a lot, and we haven't even met whoever it is yet."

Catalyna turned to her father and began to pout. "Dad! You and Mom would embarrass me! I don't like when you meet my friends!"

"Okay," Her father tried to make a bargain with her as he shoved a finger behind his glasses to scratch at his eyelid. "But you really need to have us meet this friend one day, you've been going on about them for almost a year."

As they pulled in to the school Catalyna got out and bid her father goodbye. As she walked up the sidewalk toward her first class, a figure standing across the street caught the corner of her eye.

"Oh!" She gasped as she recognized the kind face of Xavier. She smiled and checked for cars, and then began to cross the street.

_SCREEEEECCHHHH!_

She turned and tensed as a black car came to a sudden halt in front of her and she hid her face. She looked up as the sound of foot steps and a car door opening met her ears and she seen Xavier standing next to her.

"You need to watch it, girl."

She looked at the man who had spoken and gasped. He, the man she had seen in the picture she had found a year ago, the father who signed over his parental rights stood glaring at her. She stood gaping at him as she seen he looked exactly like he did in the picture; short, dark and dressed like a business man. Then she looked at his eyes and her heart sunk when realization hit her. His eyes were the exact same color as Xavier's.

"Really, Angelo," The monotone voice of Xavier spoke from beside her. "You really did come out of no where, you can say sorry."

Catalyna did not take her eyes off the man Angelo as he took some steps toward her with an amused expression.

"Do I really have to say sorry?" He asked in a low voice, he glanced at Xavier and smirked. "Do I? Is there not a 'forgive and forget' thing between parents and their children?"

Catalyna took a few steps back to run but Xavier put his arm around her shoulder. "Catalyna, I'm sorry I neglected to tell you all this time that I know your father." He gestured to Angelo and smiled at her. "He's my brother, which makes me your _Uncle_."

"Catalyna!"

She turned as the voice of her father rang out from somewhere behind her. He was running at her full speed away from a parking space in front of the school with the driver's door left open.

"Dad!" Catalyna yelled and pulled away from Xavier. She ran toward her father with her arms out. "Dad!"

_BANG!!_

The gun shot rang out as she reached her father and embraced him tightly. She turned to see the man Angelo pointing a gun at them both and looking ready to shoot.

"Jesse!" Angelo held his arms out in a welcoming manner. "Aren't you going to greet me to this new country?" He motioned to Xavier who was now standing next to him. "Did you miss us? You just up and left without saying 'goodbye'."

Screams were erupting as students were getting on the floor and security guards were running toward the scene. Catalyna was shaking all over. The man she had met and befriended turned out to be nothing but an accomplice to the enemy, and her uncle!

"It's funny," Angelo's voice rang out again and drew the young girl's attention back to him. "You really look like her father, Jesse." His amused expression changed to a glare and he spoke in a darker tone. "But she's not yours, she's my blood, and she'll return to the family and fulfill her duty."

Catalyna watched as he suddenly motioned at her to come to him.

"Come here, Catalyna. Don't you want to know your-"

"Drop your weapon!"

About seven security and police men were suddenly in front of Catalyna and her father acting like a barrier between them and the crazed men.

Angelo dropped his gun in amusement and put his hands up in mock defeat, as did Xavier. Catalyna watched in fright as the two were arrested and she and her father were told to go down to the station for questioning.

_I knew then that they were beyond dangerous people. They were arrested and then some how let out on bail, and then we moved to another side of town to avoid them. Mom was very angry at me for being too trusting of a man who seemed suspicious; I thought she would never forgive me. About a month passed by after that, before the real reason why I moved to Japan surfaced. It was supposed to be a normal day as I walked home from a new school. _

"Don't look at anyone, don't make eye contact; don't look at anyone, don't make eye contact."

Catalyna repeated these words quietly to herself as she walked down the empty sidewalk to the place she would normally meet her father. These were the words her mother had drilled in to her brain, and they were the one thing that helped her avoid speaking to anyone for any reason, whether it is at school or anywhere else. She still could not believe that the man who was her biological father had tried to shoot at the man she felt truly was her father. She and her family had constantly prayed that somehow, everything would go away with them moving, which she believed was a bunch of crap.

She turned a corner and at the end of the street was the red vehicle that her father owned. She began to walk faster as a sudden roll of thunder sounded over head; she stopped right in front of an alleyway to look up at a dark gray cloud rolling in front of the sun. "Darn…"

She made to walk again but suddenly she felt someone tall grab her from behind and pick her up.

"Wh-!"

She tried to scream as the person put his hand over her mouth and dragged her in to the alleyway. She struggled against him as her heart pounded in her ears and her adrenaline sky rocketed and the many movies she had seen where girls are attacked and killed in these situations flashed in to her head.

"Shut up, and stop moving."

Her eyes widened and she froze at the sound of the monotone voice from the man she had been a second ago trying to fight off. When she stopped struggling he viciously threw her to the cement and she landed face down on her elbows.

"Well, hello my sweet daughter."

Catalyna lifted her head and seen she was at the feet of none other than Angelo. She began to panic, seeing that this was the perfect place to murder her and leave her body buried in a dumpster. When she said nothing but only stared up at Angelo with wide eyes he spoke again.

"Are you surprised to see us?" He asked in a dangerous tone. "Get up, stupid girl."

She stayed quiet as he bent down and grabbed her upper arm aggressively and pulled her up a little off her feet. She gasped as he grabbed her other arm and squeezed her tightly.

"Are you going to become part of the family, or not?" He asked with a warning tone. "Because if you do not, then we'll _kill _your little mother and _father_."

On cue her father ran in to the alleyway and screamed for her.

"Catalyna!"

Catalyna turned and tried to get away from Angelo. He also turned and seeing who the person was he pushed her backward away from him. She landed hard and let out an "Oof!" as her back hit the sticky and disgusting cement.

"You stupid _bastard_." Angelo said to Jesse as he pulled a gun from his belt and pointed at him. "It's your fault I was arrested! I had to pull some of my best strings to get out of it!"

Xavier took a step forward and looked at Angelo. "Get this over with, I have business to take care of in Japan and I can't miss my flight."

Angelo nodded to his brother. "Your right, we have stuff to do there." He turned to the frozen form of Jesse and smirked evilly. "Sorry dear distant cousin, I guess it was nice knowing you."

"No!!"

_BANG!_

"Dad!!"

_BANG!_

Catalyna got off the floor and ran to the falling form of her father. She fell to her knees as he hit the ground and she hugged him as he lay dying.

"Let's go."

She lifted her head to see the two forms of Angelo and Xavier running away and disappearing through some door in a building that made up part of the alleyway.

She turned back to her father as the tears fell in rivers from her eyes. He had taken a shot to the stomach and one near his heart. She looked around and tried to scream.

"HELP!!"

But no one could hear this…

"HELLPPPP!"

_The funeral passed by with a blur, as did the following week along with all of the legal research and investigation of my words. I had told the police who had killed my father, but by the time they identified Angelo as the murderer he had already disappeared out of the country. My mother stayed quiet as we mourned his death, until one day she stated a proposition.._

"I hate him."

Catalyna looked at her mother's tear stained face as the two stopped from the sweeping they had been doing in the kitchen of their apartment. She felt the same brooding hate and anger toward the world, but she did not care to share it openly.

"I want _hi__m_…" She zoned out as she looked at the wall where she had been sweeping a corner. "To pay dearly…"

"Mom," Catalyna tried to stop her Mom from saying anything she may regret. "It's a nice thought, but let's be realistic." She walked over to her Mom's side with the broom still in hand. "We can't exactly just _shoot_ him down."

Her mother turned to her with a dark and frightening look in her eye. "We can't shoot him down, but we can get him _back_."

Catalyna did not understand and so asked for further explanation. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

"It's simple, really." She watched as her mom set the broom against the wall and then walk over to the counter and began to tap the smooth surface. "He's done _so_ much _wrong_, to so many _people_." She looked at her daughter and a manic smile came to her face. "It's karma; there will be hell to pay."

_By 'hell to pay', Mom explained to me the system of his family. She told me that if we could get enough people to turn against him or rise against him, then we could put him in prison for life; all it would take was some dishonesty._

_And so we waited for him to return to America, which he did a few months later, and then set off on our journey across places to find the people who had suffered at his hand. That was when I discovered Vanessa, who had become Angelo's ultimate partner in crime, since Xavier was in Japan. It was easy to find the people who suffered a loss at his hands; all we had to do was grease the palms of people who 'knew things'. _

_And so my job was to befriend the people and win over their trust. Mom said it would be easy because I grew up an honest and understanding individual, which it was. Every person I befriended poured out their secrets to me, which my Mom in turn used to pin the crimes on Angelo. _

_Sadly, he was always one step ahead of us._

**Japan:**

"I am soo glad you got rid of him!"

Tohru sat on the floor in the apartment living room along with her two best friends, Uo and Hanajima and her mom. Uo was expressing her delight at the fact that her mother had cut Xavier off, which she did because of the way things had gone for the past year.

After her mother had brushed off the syringe incident, Xavier returned and began to act very strange. He would be highly energetic and touch his nose constantly, and then at other times be so tired that he would just pass out on the couch. Tohru had tried to get her mom to believe and face the facts: Xavier was a criminal drug addict. He was a criminal because after he had returned, he began to bring more people over, and would sometimes slap them (man or woman) across the face and intimidate them with words, getting them to buy or sell drugs and other illegal things. Her mother had put up with it for a really long time, about eleven months, until one thing caused her to raise hell in the house….

"_Tohru-chan, come here a moment." _

_The young Tohru walked cautiously over to the couch where Xavier lay and on the brink of passing out. Her mother was dusting the television and watched him closely as he tried to talk to her daughter. _

"_Yes, Xavier-san?" Tohru said respectfully as she stood near the couch patiently. _

"_Come here…" He whispered as he waved his hand at her to come close to his face. "I want to tell you something…"_

_Tohru obliged and leaned down toward him. "Yes?" She asked as he opened his droopy eyes wide. _

"_You know, you're getting older…" He sat up and caused her to step back a bit. He beckoned her closer and so she stepped back toward him. "You're getting pretty like your mother…"_

"_AHH!" Tohru shrieked as he pulled her toward him by her waist and full on grabbed her bottom. "STOP!" _

"_Don't you like it?" He tried to say something else but Tohru was pulled away from him as Kyoko pushed him down and told the girl to go to her room. _

_Tohru obliged but only went halfway in and stayed and stood in the doorway to watch what would happen. _

"_You will never touch my daughter that way!!" Tohru watched as her mother exploded and pulled him up by the scruff of his shirt. "YOU GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!" _

_SMACK!_

_Tohru gasped as Xavier's hand slapped her mother clear across the face. She made for the phone to call the police but she stopped as her mother glared at him warningly. _

_CRASH!!_

"_AH!" Tohru screamed as her mother pushed him in to the door, breaking a vase along with it. _

"_GET OUT!" Kyoko screamed as her fist collided with the side of his face. _

"_Stupid woman…" Xavier mumbled as he fiddled wit the door handle. "You'll pay for this…"_

_Kyoko folded her arms and waited as he scurried quickly out of the door. _

"_M-Mom!" Tohru started as her mom opened the door after him and shouted for the whole neighborhood to hear. _

"_YOU'RE FORGETTING WHO I AM!" She screamed at him as he got in to his car. "I WAS IN A GANG! LIKE I'M SCARED OF YOU!!" _

That sure was a day that Tohru would never forget. As she looked around her friends were looking at her strangely and she was drawn back to the conversation at hand.

"Tohru, if I would have been there…" Uo clenched her fist and slammed it on the table. "I would have killed him for touching you like that!!"

"I'm just relieved he's out of your life, Kyoko." Hanajima said in her misty voice. "He was always very mean to us…"

"Yes, girls, I know." Kyoko looked at her daughter's two friends. "I was just being stupid. But don't worry, I got one in on him!" She too clenched her fist and slammed it on the table.

_Mom, If only we would have known that it was not the last of him. A year later, after I turned fourteen and entered my second year of middle school, Mom came home frightened and worried, and demanded that we get ready at once for a camping trip. _

The arm rest burned Tohru as she tried to go to sleep in the jeep her mother had rented for the sudden camping trip. It had been seven hours of driving around and looking for somewhere to actually camp and Tohru was ready to eat something. They had left at about five in the morning, and had stopped by an old place where they had grabbed a camping brochure.

"Mom, have you ever been camping before?"

Kyoko turned to the tired eyes of her daughter and smiled. "No, but I'll bet its fun."

Tohru cocked an eyebrow and turned to look at the back seat. There was a new tent that they had bought before they left, some food and fire materials, clothes, blankets, an ice chest and some other stuff she did not feel like digging through to mentally list.

"We can't go there." Kyoko pointed to the brochure between them and with a pen that she pulled out from underneath her leg she wrote on the inside cover "Not far enough from home."

Tohru looked at it and wondered how her mother could drive and write at the same time. "Mom, where exactly do you plan on going?"

"Somewhere," Kyoko sighed and stepped on the gas as they sped on down the deserted highway road. "It would be nice to have great mother-daughter time, don't you think?"

Tohru smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it will be fun."

About four hours later Kyoko finally decided on a spot that was off the map and guaranteed to be secluded. They had set up in the middle of a forest-like place close to a dirt road that would lead straight back to the highway. They only had time on that day to set up and make dinner, then head off to bed. As Tohru tried to sleep in the small tent, she could not shake the feeling that something was not right…

"Mom, I think I need wood."

The next day at around noon and lunch time the two females got back from a long hike they had gone on. Tohru was preparing some lunch with a little problem with the fire she had built. She kept trying to keep it lit so that she could cook some fish, but it kept flickering and going out.

"You need wood?" Kyoko walked over from the tent and peered at the pitiful fire. "Maybe you need gas.."

"Uwah!" Tohru exclaimed as she looked around frantically. "If I use gas we can blow up this whole place!!"

"Relax, Tohru, I'll get some wood." Kyoko began to walk away.

"Mom," Tohru called out and her mom stopped and turned to her. "When are you going to tell me why we came out here?"

She watched as her mom seemed to struggle with herself. "We don't need to discuss it now."

"Mom!" Tohru said firmly as she abandoned the fire poker she had been using and walked over to her mom. "You have to tell me if this has anything to do with him!"

"It doesn't!" Kyoko snapped angrily. "We don't need to get in to a discussion about Xavier right now, okay?!"

"Why not?!" Tohru pushed on as she tried to convince her mom. "We haven't talked about it for a long time! And I know it still hurts you that he turned out so bad!"

Kyoko turned around and began to walk away as she ended the conversation.

"No man can _hurt _me, Tohru."

Tohru turned around and went back to the fire. She picked up the poker angrily as her mom disappeared in to the trees. She could not believe it, her mom was harboring angry feelings about the whole situation with _him_. She began to feel guilty for becoming angry with her mom as she stood alone and stared at the pitiful fire.

"AHHHHHHH!!"

Tohru's head snapped toward the trees at the sound of her mom's scream. Without thinking twice she ran in the direction her mother had disappeared with the fire poker in hand.

"MOM?!" Tohru called out as she jogged through the thick trees looking around frantically. "MOM!!"

As she headed in to a small clearing she gasped at the sight of her mother's unconscious form sprawled out in the middle of the ground next to a jagged boulder. She dropped the fire poker and fell to her knees at her mom's side.

"MOM!" She rolled her mom over so she was on her back and seen a large cut on her head. "Mom!!' She shook the woman's shoulders, desperately trying to wake her.

"Tohru-san…"

Tohru froze at the sound of the voice. _No, it can't be him…_

She turned around and seen the crazed looking form of Xavier standing close to a tree. She looked at the state of him; the very clean and fancy suit he usually wore was ripped and torn in places and he looked as though he had been going crazy for some time.

Tohru leapt to her feet and stood over her mother's body as he began to walk toward her. Was he going to hurt her? What should she do?

"You should never go…" Xavier began in the same monotone low voice he always had. "Where people can't hear you _scream_."

Tohru did not know what else to do except reply. "What are y-you doing here?" She stuttered fearfully.

He chuckled and then stopped a few feet away from her. "I'm here to _kill_ you both." He said simply as Tohru's eyes widened in shock. "You both have seen too much of my business…"

"You won't kill my mom!" Tohru said bravely as she glanced at the fire poker lying somewhere behind him. "If you hurt her, I'll hurt _you_!!"

"Really?" He asked amused, then he started laughing manically and spoke again. "You could never hurt anyone if your life depended on it!"

Tohru felt some feeling rise in her chest as he mocked her. "I will hurt you! You never deserved my mom!"

"Shut up!!"

Xavier reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair and threw her to the ground behind him. "You stupid ignorant girl! You don't know anything about me!"

Tohru turned over as he stood over her in a domineering stance. She tried to rack her brain for a way to defend herself without hurting him too badly, but the only solution seemed to be to fight back.

He bent down and kneeled over her and pinned her arms down at her sides as she tried to squirm free. "You are such a _pretty_ girl…"

"Let me go!" She screamed as she tried to kick at him, but he just sat himself comfortably on her legs, stopping her resisting.

"I'm going to…" He lowered his face toward her and whispered. "..have you now…"

"No!"

Tohru banged her head against his nose and caused him to yell in pain and roll off of her. She then scurried around for the fire poker and tried to crawl away once she picked it up.

"Dumb bitch!!"

Xavier's monotone dropped as he screamed and grabbed at her legs. She kicked him in the knee and caused him to buckle over momentarily.

She stood up with the fire poker in her hand as he too stood and looked at her with a death glare.

"I'm going to kill you…" He took a step toward her. "NOW!!"

"NO!"

She pulled her arm back and struck him across the face with the end of the fire poker with all the strength she could muster.

He stumbled and grabbed his face, yelling in pain and cursing. She looked at the fire poker as her heart was pounding with the rare feeling of rage. Everything he did seemed to flash in to her brain as she stepped toward him.

_The sniffing of the cocaine and the man he had punched in the stomach…_

"NO!" She yelled and struck him in the stomach.

_The people at her home while she waited for her mom…_

She struck him again.

_The way he grabbed her bottom…_

She struck him again.

_The way he smacked her mom.._

She struck him again and watched as he stumbled back with blood all over him. She tried to stop but the rage continued.

"You…" Xavier spoke weakly as he stood up straight and faced her. "You're weak…"

"No, I'm not weak!' She screamed as she struck him one last time.

He fell backwards toward the jagged boulder..

_CRACK!_

His neck hit the sharp edge and the sickening crack caused Tohru to drop to her knees.

"Oh…" She said weakly as she realized what it was she had done."…no."

The world seem to spin as the color all drained from her face…

"I killed him…."

_I killed him. I killed him, and when my mom came to, I told her he had killed himself. We quickly packed and drove away, leaving him there and not looking back for fear of what was to come. We had the feeling that no one would ever be able to find him out there, due to how secluded it is. _

_But as secluded as it was, we still feared that someone would find out…_

* * *

**A/N: **Don't worry there's a little more! There's some stuff that needed to happen so yeah there's a bit more. Thanks though, for encouraging me and making me feel like "Okay, I need to continue this!" So please give me some more feedback and ideas!! That is, if you want to know the second half…. MUAW HA HA HA HA! Okay I'm not that evil you'll get it fast, but please just give me some feedback, kk? Be kind to the author!


	15. When We Deceive

**A/N: **Okay the rest of the confession is not too long, but there will be bits and pieces of more stuff after this! I'm glad you guys liked it I was smiling while reading your feedback! But I won't ramble long so you guys can read it! On forthwith!

* * *

**Chapter 15: …When We Deceive**

_North America, one year later:_

"Xavier's dead!"

Catalyna watched as her mom bustled in to the front door with her face full of shock. She got off the couch of the random apartment they lived in while they were staying in…wait, what city again? They had moved so much it was too difficult to keep track anymore.

"He's dead?" Catalyna asked for reassurance as her mother nodded and closed the front door to avoid listeners.

"Yes, this is great!" Her mother plopped down on the couch next to her with an expression that contradicted her tone. "Listen to this.."

_She told me about Angelo seeking revenge on some mother and daughter who had supposedly killed Xavier. She informed me that Angelo would be heading out to Japan with Vanessa, where the two lived. She quickly collected information on people; I honestly don't know how she does it. She told me the girl's name was Tohru Honda, and that the body was never discovered by police because some family members were sent to look for him. And after we spent another year preparing to leave, we learned that the girl's mother had been killed in an accident. _

_Once we arrived in Japan, we quickly learned everything we could about Tohru Honda living with the Sohma family and their ways of being. We learned they were cursed and different from everyone else, and that the reason she had come to live with them was because she knew of the curse. We were not afraid of this curse though; we had seen worse things than people turning in to animals. Mom spent her time examining them and I spent my time trying to enroll in to the high school they were attending, which was not easy. _

"You need to tail the boy, Yuki Sohma."

Catalyna looked over the written information on the boy Yuki as she and her mother sat at the table in their new apartment in Japan. She was curious about him and so asked her mother a question.

"So, this boy, is he the one whose mother was killed… by Vanessa?"

Florentina nodded. "Yes, I don't have a picture at the moment but trust me, he'll be difficult to get to." She also looked at the profile. "If you can get _this_ guy to tell you the truth about his mother's death, _and_ talk about Miss Tohru Honda," She smiled and sighed . "There will be _no way _Angelo can get out of this one."

Catalyna scanned the profile, trying to get in to the mind set of manipulating this boy. "I start school next week." She said.

"Good." Her mother said as she got off the floor and made to leave the room. "The sooner we get this done, the better."

_So I set off and to befriend the one called 'Yuki', doing my job as I was told, just like a robot without feelings or regrets. The web of deception that I was weaving was thicker than ever, and now this was supposed to be just another task. My reason being my Dad; to not have him had died in vain. But, when I would sit and really think on it, I know he would not be proud of me. So in a sad way…_

…_he did die in vain._

* * *

"I've never told anyone that before.."

The silence as all eyes were fixed on the poor crying Catalyna was suffocating in the unfairness of it all. There she sat, staring at the floor as the millions of tears ran down her face, still more concerned about keeping the innocent people safe.

Catalyna wiped her eyes and sniffed, then glanced at Tohru. "Even though this is now the second time you've heard this, Honda-san," Catalyna tried to look at her, but the shame and guilt kept her eyes locked on the floor. "I'm sorry for being dishonest, selfish, manipulative….fake."

Tohru reached out and placed her hand on the girl's arm. She could not think of any words to say since she, herself, felt a sense of relief from letting her story be known to the people she cared about. She turned to the group of people before her with pleading eyes and small tears running down her face.

"I'm sorry for all of the confusion." She looked from each pair of eyes to the next, hoping they would stop just staring and say something. "This is the truth, for both of us. It seems our paths crossed long before we met."

At those words Catalyna pulled her eyes away from the floor to look at the blank expression of Tohru. "Our paths _crossed_?" She asked with the disbelief screaming in her tone, despite how quiet she had spoke. "You really can call that crossing? My mother and I tracked you down…"

"Lyna-kun," Tohru squeezed her arm comfortingly. "You've come forward, that's all that counts now."

Catalyna shook her head. "No, that's not-"

"She's right."

Catalyna looked up at the voice of Hanajima, seeing the girl looking at her with the same blank expression she always wore.

"Catalyna, you heard Tohru's story about Xavier," Hanajima continued as everyone's attention shifted to her. "He was the worst of the worst, cruel and sickening as he tried to touch the young Tohru-kun."

Kyo tensed up and felt the urge to hit something. No one, _no one _would touch her while he was around. He restrained from the violence that was screaming to let loose and sat with his self-discipline. _If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill that bastard…_

"He was bad, _all _bad." Uo looked around at everyone with a serious expression. "He was always screwed up, telling me and Hanajima to leave because Tohru didn't need friends… and he tried to boss Kyoko around and act like he had control of her…"

Hanajima nodded and then looked to Tohru. "I'm glad you've cleared this up, _you_ told us he disappeared."

"I know." Tohru nodded and turned to the Sohmas. "I'm sorry, I really should have told you sooner." She looked from each male to the next, and was disappointed to see Kyo looking away from her.

"Tohru, its fine." Momiji spoke up with seriousness in his voice that was very unlike him. "It was really just self-defense, you could _never_ get in trouble for that."

"That's true." Haru added from beside Momiji. "That guy tried to hurt you, I think it's _awesome_ that you beat the hell out of him."

Yuki turned to Haru with an unreadable expression. _Leave it to Haru to try and make light of the situation. _

"This really is different." Shigure spoke up now and looked at Tohru. "I suppose this Angelo and Vanessa told Akito a different story…which he told me." He pointed to himself. "He told me that _you _had killed him because you were _jealous_ of all the time he was taking away from you and your mom, which I have to say is really _absurd_…"

"Pfft! Tohru? Jealous to kill?" Uo laughed at the writer's stupidity. "Puhlease, that's like getting Orangey," She pointed a finger to the looking off Kyo. "To dress like a girl because he _wants_ to."

Tohru looked to Catalyna and tried to comfort her further. "Lyna-kun…"

Catalyna looked up and around at everyone. She had gotten lost in her thoughts and so now tried to get away. "I-I'm sorry, I'll help you all I can…I'll just go and… sorry for making you all think I'm… a nice person."

Tohru stopped her by wrapping her arms around the girl's shoulders and embracing her so she would not walk away. "Lyna-kun, please don't go. You can't walk away from us now!"

Catalyna looked at everyone in disbelief as Tohru held her to her chest. She tried to say something. "I'm…the worst…."

"You know about the curse," Tohru said as fresh tears began to fall at the thought of her walking away. "And I want you to stay with us, because you _are_ kind, and I really care for you."

Uo and Hana both moved from their spots and sat beside Tohru, attempting to help comfort the girl.

"Hey, man." Uo pat Catalyna's almost buried head. "You just spilled your guts to us about everything," Uo said firmly. "Clearly you're _not_ the worst if you put your neck on the line, cause from the sounds of it, your Mom's gonna be _pissed_ that you told."

More tears began to fall from Catalyna and she could feel them soaking Tohru's front. "I was willing to hurt you…for revenge…"

Yuki looked at the girl who had been nothing but happy and bubbly at school. He felt guilty now, for thinking that she might be on the enemy's side. He looked to the other males, trying to communicate with them through looks to help let her know that it's alright. _She can't possibly mean any kind of real harm… _He looked at Haru, who looked confused, then at Shigure, who still held a serious expression, then at Kyo, who was looking away from the whole scene, then he turned to Momiji to find the boy now kneeling beside Tohru and Catalyna.

"Lyna-kun."

She looked at Momiji as he said her name very gently. She felt Tohru loosen her grip a bit and so turned to the blonde boy.

Momiji smiled at her warmly. "You are not the worst, or the best." He tilted his head to the side a little. "You are a _normal_ person."

Her eyes widened a little and she could feel the guilt fade a bit. "Normal?" She asked through her now runny nose.

"Everyone wants to protect the one's they love." Momiji pat Tohru's arm and nodded. "Like Tohru, she protected her Mom."

Catalyna glanced around the room and then back to Momiji. "But I couldn't…protect my Dad…"

Momiji closed his eyes and shook his head. "We can't protect our parents all the time, just like they can't protect us."

Kyo now watched out of the corner of his eye as Tohru released her hug on the girl. _Damn rabbit actually sounds smart…for once. _He turned his full attention to them as Momiji made a sudden grab for Catalyna's hand.

Catalyna closed her eyes and looked away from him. "I couldn't save him."

"No!" Momiji said loudly as his brows furrowed in his determination and he grasped her hand to his chest. "You can't look back at the things you've done! Look f_orward_, Lyna-kun, look forward and look around for what you can do _now_!"

She pulled her hand away from him and dashed for the front door.

"Lyna-kun!"

Tohru got up and chased after her, while everyone else was stopped by Shigure.

"Let her go." He said as he motioned for them all to sit down. "Or we could just watch her work her magic from the windows!"

Catalyna made it a few feet from the house when someone grabbed her arm from behind to stop her. She turned to see that it was Tohru.

"Lyna-kun, please." Tohru tried to plead with the girl. "Please don't run, I want you to stay!"

She looked at her in disbelief. She wanted her to stay? Why? "I can't be friends with you anymore! I'm not allowed to have real friends."

"Yes, you can!" Tohru raised her voice a little and everyone watching from the windows flinched. "You can't just go now! What you say you did is not bad, you did not hurt anyone!" The selfish feeling that Kyo had told her was okay to have was rising and she continued. "I'm being selfish, but I really want you to stay!"

Catalyna felt the guilt and regret lessen a bit, and she flung herself in to the girl's arms and clutched her shirt. She had never cried like this in front of anyone but her parents, before her Dad had been killed. It was a strange feeling to be able to pour out her tears to someone who was still practically a stranger, when the people she had to manipulate in America never made her feel so heard.

"You are too kind…" She sniffed and buried her face in to her shoulder. "Thank you..."

* * *

"She looks peaceful."

About an hour later, everyone now sat around the table once again while Catalyna lay asleep on the couch. The two girls had come in and sat down, but Catalyna had just fallen over and fell asleep. They all decided to let her sleep, and so moved the table a little ways away in case she woke up or rolled off. They all now sat talking as quietly as they could. Momiji was watching her sleep, as he was the one who made the comment.

"Peaceful or not, it's very sad." Shigure said as he eyed the sleeping girl in curiosity.

"What's sad?" Kyo asked in annoyance.

Shigure folded his arms and sighed. "That poor girl, I can't relate to the loss of a parent, but as far as the curse goes…" Shigure looked at Tohru in question. "She really does know, doesn't she?"

Tohru nodded. "Yes, it seems someone in the Sohma Estate has been leaking the secret." She put her finger to her chin in wonder. "Though, she would not tell me who it is…"

"Akito's been trying to figure that out, too." Shigure said as he looked to the other teens with worry. "There are not too many people to know about it to begin with, but it's rather difficult to pin it down to the culprit."

"So, this secret," Uo said while placing her arms on the table and looking at everyone. "If it's so important, why do you boys risk going to a school where girls want to mob you?"

Haru rested his elbow on the table and then put his head on his fist. "It's better than hiding at an 'all boys' school."

Yuki nodded in agreement. "So far, we've been able to avoid the hugs."

"_So far_." Kyo reminded everyone quietly. "We still have another year."

"Don't worry, Kyo." Haru said in a mock sympathetic voice. "Just don't go and turn into a pimp daddy and woo the girls, and it will be fine."

Kyo glared at Haru and fumed silently.

"Will Lyna-kun have to have her memories erased?" Momiji looked to Shigure sadly. Everyone knew it was already risky that Uo and Hanajima knew, but Catalyna had not accidentally discovered anything, it was told to her.

"No, it's pointless." Shigure sighed again and rubbed his temples. "It's not our place, since she did not exactly find out from any of _us_."

Tohru breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad Lyna-kun came forward, now we can help her, too."

Kyo snapped his head in her direction. "Help her?" He asked in disbelief. "Help her get them thrown in prison? That's just stupid, how has she helped us?"

Yuki turned to him and narrowed his eyes, angry that the stupid Cat was being selfish "She just told you that your mother's _death_ was not suicide! Do you not listen to anything people say?"

Everyone was silent as they looked at Kyo, waiting for his expected reaction of yelling and stomping away. Tohru held her breath as she watched his eyes dull, and she could swear she seen them gloss over… as though he were about to cry.

Kyo stood up and turned to walk away, but before he did he spoke quietly.

"You don't know _anything_…"

Tohru watched him walk away and leave out of the front door, and then without thinking twice she got up and chased after him.

"Tohru!" Uo yelled as the brunette dashed to the door and disappeared as it closed behind her.

"Kyo-kun, please stop." Tohru trotted quickly behind him as he made his way to the ladder. "Kyo-kun, stop please ju-"

She stopped as he came to a halt in front of her and hardly turned his head around. She took a cautious step toward him with her hand outstretched, hoping he would talk to her and let his pain be known. "Kyo-kun…"

He turned his head to look at her, mustering the best glare he could possibly give her. He seen her take a step back in fear, and so spoke serious. "Leave me _alone_."

She flinched at the look in his eye. Was that hate? Sadness? Anger? She could not read him and her heart just about broke as he turned and headed up the ladder. _Why, Kyo-kun? Why will you not let me reach you…? _She decided she would give him time to cool down and so headed inside the house.

"Tohru, are you alright?" Uo dashed to her the second she walked in the door. "Did he yell at you?"

Tohru shook her head. "He's upset though, we should leave him on the roof for a while."

Shigure heaved a heavy and dramatic sigh as he pointed toward the clock on the wall. "It is much too late for the young ladies to go home! You must all stay here."

Haru looked at the clock and then back to Shigure. "Sensei, it's only eight fifteen."

"Can we spend the night?!" Momiji chimed up and turned to Shigure with a smile. "Please? I want to visit with Lyna-kun and Tohru!"

"Momiji," Shigure pointed to Catalyna sleeping. "You can't talk to her while she's sleeping, you'll look psychotic and you might wake her!"

"I can not stay." Hanajima suddenly stood up and made for the door. "I need to bid the Night farewell before slipping in to a dark slumber."

Uo stood too and yawned. "Whatever she said, doesn't apply to me." She went to the door by Hanajima and slipped on her shoes. "I have to get home and unlock the door, so my Dad doesn't stay out all night."

"Um, okay." Tohru walked over to the door and bid her friends good night.

Haru stood up and stretched out his arms. "I'm staying--in Yuki's room." He tried to stifle the yawn to talk.

"Whatever." Was Yuki's only response as he got up and bid good night to everyone, saying he had to do homework before bed. Haru followed anyways, saying he had to tease him before bed.

Tohru smiled around. "I'm going to get ready for bed." She walked toward the stairs and then turned to the remaining Momiji and Shigure. "Is it okay if I leave Lyna-kun for a little bit…?"

Momiji nodded. "I'll watch her! I won't let Shigure do anything to her!"

And meanwhile, outside a Yankee and Wave reader were lingering…

"Maybe we should go see Kyoko." Uo suggested to Hanajima as the two stood a few feet from the ladder leading to the roof.

"Perhaps." Hanajima responded as she looked to the sky. "I am hungry…let's have a late dinner, shall we?"

Uo felt her stomach growl and turned to look at the ladder, seeing that it was the one that lead to the roof.

"Hanajima, can you wait here a second?" Uo said as she stepped over to the ladder.

And on the roof a Cat sat alone…

Kyo stared out in to the trees, not angry or sad, just thinking about the subject Yuki had brought up earlier. A blank expression occupied his features as millions of emotions battled inside him to win the open spot in his face.

_Suicide…murder….accident…which was it?_

He looked away from the trees and turned his attention to a tile by his leg. He knew very well which one it was, but he felt it better to not share that information with anyone. He knew that if he would have let Tohru talk to him earlier, she would have pulled the truth out of him. He would have poured out the secrets about his mom, and about another person…

_Accident, or murder? Most definitely not suicide…_

He shook his head as memories threatened to drown his brain with how quickly they flooded in. He had tried to forget about everything; pull the plug and watch as they all got sucked in to the drain. But, no, memories don't work that way…

"_Kyo…hey Kyo!"_

_An accident…_

"_Take a look at this, cute isn't she?" _

_Or murder…_

"_Want to see her? Bet you do…"_

He shut his eyes and tried to push away the voice…the face and the clothes…the kind smile…the carefree attitude…

"_Hey, Kyo!"_

_Stop…_

"Yo!"

Kyo turned his head and snapped his eyes open to see the blonde haired Uo stepping on to the roof and walking over to him.

"What are _you_ doing up here?" He asked as angrily as he could.

"What's it to _you_?" Uo retorted as she sat down next to him and looked up at the sky. "Nice spot, Kyon."

Kyo rolled his eyes and scooted an inch away from her. "Do you have a point for coming up here?" He felt kind of awkward; he never spoke to Uo much, unless he was yelling or just asking a question.

Uo did not turn as she spoke. "Tohru, duh." She clenched her fist and slammed it down on a tile, and then turned to him suddenly angry. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"What?!" Kyo exclaimed as he flinched in her anger. Then he opened his mouth to retort but she smacked him in the head to make him shut up.

"Shut yer trap and listen!" She yelled at him before taking deep breaths and calming down to speak civilly. "Any idiot who hurts her," She spoke in a forced calm voice. "I'll kick their ass." She pointed her finger at him and caused him to flinch while rubbing his head. "_You_ already know this."

He looked at her with a confused expression. "Okay…and that matters now because…?" He asked cautiously in fear of being hit again.

She calmed down a little and lowered her hand. "Damn, you are stupid." She yawned and then spoke in a more civil (a little more civil) tone.

"Look, you upset her a lot, but in a different way." She pointed her finger at him again. "It makes her _sad_ when you're angry with her, whereas if anyone _else_ is angry with her, it makes her _scared_." She looked at his still confused face and continued with a new note of irritation. "Dammit! She freakin _cares_ about you too much. I can see it all the time, and so can Hanajima." She pointed to the ground below where Hanajima waited patiently.

"And so you haven't kicked my ass because…?" Kyo asked in a more fearful tone as he expected another smack to the head. He relaxed when she dropped her anger and continued.

"If I kick your ass, it's like you're just anyone else." She got up suddenly and stood facing the ladder. "So we have to let her do it instead, in her own way."

Kyo watched her walk away in confusion. _What the hell was she talking about?_ He was about to go back to looking at the trees when Uo's voice called out again.

"Orangey!"

Kyo turned as she was about to descend down the ladder. "What?!"

"Don't hurt her."

_Whatever. _Uo disappeared and he thought he should go inside and apologize for seeming angry; it's not like anything was really Tohru's fault. But, he was really on edge about what she had told him...how Xavier tried to…touch her.

_No one will ever do that to her…as long as I live… _He looked around satisfied with that thought and self-promise, until a different, more evil voice popped in his head…

_Cause if it's not you, then it's not right. _

Kyo wanted to smack himself for thinking that way and his face turned completely red. Just like on other occasions when he would be sitting alone and she would cross his mind, and his thoughts would wander to all the things he wanted to do…

_With her, right? _

"No." Kyo said aloud and this time did smack himself for the voice. "I am _not_ a pervert."

_Yeah, you are. _The voice spoke again. _You know you watch her hang the laundry, cook dinner and do her homework…wishing you could just hold her close to your body…_

"Dammit, no!" He yelled louder than he intended to. Feeling like a dirty old man he then decided he would try and just apologize to her. He got up and ignored the voice in his head and descended the ladder.

* * *

"Oh wow…"

Tohru was bent over her bed looking underneath it for a pair of pajamas. She could not believe she had actually told everyone about her secret. Though she knew she should be thinking of a way to fix everything, her mind wandered to a certain orange haired boy on top of the roof.

"Aha!" She exclaimed as she found her long sleeved shirt and pants that were her pajamas. She stood up and started to take off her clothes to change. _Why, why can I not just run to him and…be brave and tell him how I feel…? _She was standing in her bra and underwear, and looked at herself as she walked over to a mirror that was above her dresser.

_I'm so…like a little girl… _She looked at her chest and frowned at the embarrassing size of her bust. _Might as well be a pancake…_ She poked her stomach, wondering if she should take up a form of exercise to tone her body more. _Maybe then I would have the confidence to tell him…_

She looked at her face now and stared at her reflection. _And how would having a better body help me tell him? _The voice in her head spoke…_Because, then maybe he would look at me…and maybe I would seem more beautiful…like Isuzu-san. _

"No… I could not dress that way…I have not the confidence…" She sighed and poked her stomach again.

_Then again, I've never tried wearing clothing like Isuzu-san…maybe Kyo likes those kinds of clothes on a girl? _She shook her head just as she heard her door open and she turned around quickly.

"Hey, Tohru-"

Momiji stopped dead in his tracks and stared wide eyed at her. It took him a moment to realize she was screaming at him

"AHHHH! GET OUT!!" Tohru screamed as she leaped behind her bed to hide herself from view.

"S-sorry!" He squeaked as he covered his eyes and ran out of her room without shutting the door. He felt himself collide with some one and opened his eyes to see Kyo stumble back a bit.

"What the hell?" Kyo asked, annoyed that the stupid kid wasn't watching where he was going.

Momiji looked up at him scared before running around him shouting. "I didn't do anything I just went to talk to her!"

Kyo shrugged the ignorant behavior and walked in to her room without looking around and shut the door behind him.

"Hey, Tohru, we need to talk about-"

Tohru stood up relieved that Momiji had left and did not notice Kyo standing and watching her. She heard the voice and then looked up to see a second male to see her, but worse, him!

"K-KYO-KUN!!" She shrieked as she grabbed her bed sheets and covered herself.

"I'M SORRY!!" Kyo yelled as he turned around and tried to leave quickly, forgetting he had shut the door.

_WHAM!_

He crashed right in to it, then dizzily fell backwards and hit the floor with a thud.

"Kyo-kun!!" Tohru shrieked this time in worry. She quickly pulled the sheet around her body kimono-style and dashed to his side. "Are you alright?!"

"Oww…" He groaned as he felt his nose numb from the collision. _I ran.. In to a door…smart. _He blinked and looked at Tohru kneeling beside him.

"Should I get ice?" She asked as she pressed her hand to his forehead and moved his bangs out of his eyes. "You have a small bump on your head."

"A bump..?" He sat up suddenly and remembered why he had tried to run out of the room. "Crap! You're naked!" He turned his head away from her and shut his eyes tightly, cursing himself to hell for not knocking.

_Or maybe you should forget to knock more often…_

"Errr." He shut the voice out and grumbled.

Tohru laughed at how he was not looking at her. "Kyo-kun, I'm not naked, I have a sheet! You can open your eyes." She hugged the sheet tighter around her, now feeling self-conscious that he had actually seen her in her bra and underwear.

He turned his head back to her with his eyes still closed tightly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." She said as she pulled it even tighter and watched his face turn red as he opened his eyes slowly. "See? I'm covered."

He sighed in relief and rubbed the bump on his forehead. "I'm sorry, I came in here for a reason."

The two stood up and faced each other. Tohru had a little difficulty due to the length of the sheet, but she managed and looked at him expectantly.

_Now how do I start?_ He tried to think of how to start apologizing for earlier, but he could not push the thoughts of the full story away.

"Kyo-kun," Tohru took a step toward him. "Are you okay…?"

He opened his mouth slightly to say something, but then looked in to her eyes and felt a sudden falling feeling in his stomach. That man had hurt her, hurt her and her mother and her friends. Why had no one been able to protect them?

"I.." He started but then looked away and stared at the floor, not able to hold the eye contact any longer. "I'm sorry…for everything."

"Huh?" Tohru said in confusion. What was 'everything' he was apologizing for? "What do you mean by everything?"

"I kept pushing you," He said as he continued to stare at the floor. "Pushing you to tell me the truth when I didn't know it was that bad…and all that pushing caused you to close up….I wasn't fair to you."

"No, you don't have to apologize!" She panicked as he kept looking at the floor, blaming himself for her keeping the truth secret. "I should have told you the truth to begin with! _I_ was the one who came to you with it!"

"But _you_ were suffering before that!" His voice grew louder as he continued. "And we all just sat around here, worrying but not making any real attempts to help you!" Was that it? Was that what was making him so upset with himself? Was it _really_ that he did not try hard enough to help her before she went to him with her secret?

Or was it his own regretful past…?

"That's not true."

He looked up as she spoke and took another step closer to him, her expression was full of worry for him . _Now I'm making her worry about me…_

"Kyo-kun, you did try and help me. Everyone in this house," She was now only about a foot away from him, and despite the conversation, she could feel herself becoming nervous "Everyone tried to help me. I only went to _you_ because….I just thought you would understand. And I didn't tell you the rest because….I thought you would think…"

He watched as tears began to form in her eyes, threatening to fall as she continued.

"I thought you would think I was…vengeful and angry…"

And now the tears fell uncontrollably as she buried her face in her hands in shame. That was the reason; she did not want him to think she was a person who harbored negativity, regardless of how bad things were.

"I'm sorry Kyo-kun, I'm sorr-"

She suddenly felt him grab her shoulders and pull her closer, and she opened her eyes wide as she felt her head hit his chest and his arms wrap around her in a strong embrace. It felt so right to be held by him; but only for a moment this sort of thing could last…

_POOF!_

As the smoke cleared she held him tightly in her arms, wishing some kind of miracle would strike and he would be human again.

She looked at the door as she heard the sound of running in the hall. The door swung open and Momiji stood there looking straight at Kyo.

Tohru looked at him in alarm "Momiji-ku-?"

"Kyo, I don't know if you care, but.." He looked as the orange Cat lifted his head to pay attention and continued.

"There was just a phone call, today they found your father…dead."

* * *

**A/N: **Soooo now that the confession is out it can move faster! I know, fifteen chapters later… But there is need of some more chapters of some stuff for the big climaxes to come! And trust me, there will be big ones! Now let me know how you liked it and hit that review button! Reviewers receive a life size card board cut out of their favorite furuba character! That could come in handy ;)


	16. I've Seen Worse Things

**A/N: **Thank you readers who have stuck with me! I hope you all enjoyed your cardboard cut outs, though with the hit number I ran out of Kyo, Yuki, Tohru, Hatori, Momiji etc and sorry to those who must have Akito ha ha lol jk, Akkii is kinda cool too. So now I am going on to the chapter!! Muaw ha ha what will happen??

* * *

**Chapter 16: I've Seen Worse Things**

"It was suicide?"

"But why?"

"Like the mother?"

"But there were different prints on the gun."

"There's a note to the Cat, it _must _have been suicide!"

"But someone said they saw someone leaving the house!"

The young middle school boy Hiro Sohma slipped past the crowd of people gathered around the crime scene at the Sohma estate. Everyone was buzzing about the death of Kyo Sohma's father as he crept to the hole in the wall to follow the ends of long black hair as they whipped out of sight.

_She's running off again. _He knew Rin Sohma was going through a lot of things alone, and since he seen her get pushed out of the window he had been trying to follow her and aid her in any way possible.

He slipped out of the hole unseen due to the darkness of the night. He looked around the deserted sidewalk and seen her walk in to a park that was down the street.

"Rin…" The soft thuds of his feet pounding on the cement were unheard by anyone beyond the wall as he ran after her. Once in the park he looked around at the deserted place; where had she gone?.

"WAH!" The boy exclaimed as a hand shot out from his right and pulled him behind a nearby bush. His knees hit the grass as the female voice spoke behind him.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Rin grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him roughly off the grass and turned him around with a scowl that made her look quite disturbed. "Stop following me!"

Hiro looked at her; she looked a little more healthy than she had been, but he could imagine she was freezing and would most likely get sick with the outfit she wore. She had a black long skirt paired with a black tank top; goose bumps were popping up all over her bear, pale arms. He looked up at her and tried to look her in the eye, but she turned to the side and folded her arms.

"Rin, you shouldn't be going out at night." He began. "That man was just found dead and they think it might be murder! They could still be lurking around if it was-"

"And you care, why?" She turned to him as her scowl disappeared to be replaced by a look of false humor. "Like I've said before, just because you seen Akito push me, doesn't mean you have to act like some 'protective follower' or what not…"

Hiro looked around for a moment, then decided to bring up the taboo of Haru and hope for the best. "You already have a protective follower, and his name is Hatsuharu Sohma and he misses you-"

"Don't talk about Haru!" Rin yelled as she grabbed Hiro by the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her face. "He doesn't need me and I don't need him!! So he can move on and you can all enjoy your happy little-"

_Crack._

Rin stopped yelling as they both turned their attention to some nearby bushes where the sound of foot steps could be heard. They looked at each other and then at the same time dropped to their knees and out of sight.

"It might be the murderers!" Hiro hissed as Rin's long hair hit his hand and almost got tangled in his fingers. "We should go back, we really shou-!"

"WHA-!"

A strong arm shot out of the bush and grabbed Rin by the shoulders, pulling her through the rough sticks and twigs and away from Hiro.

"Rin!" He screamed as he got up to run through the bush, but he was grabbed from behind by a woman.

"Hiro Sohma the sheep…" The low voice hissed in his ear as the woman covered his mouth with her hand and held him still with the other. "You're going to wish you just stayed home…"

"AHH!"

He tried to struggle away as he heard the thud of a body hit the grass behind the bush and Rin's scream ring out in the air. But as he tried to squirm, the woman threw him violently to the ground and he landed on his back with a thud.

"Now, Hiro, the sheep of the zodiac…"

He looked to her face but grew more frightened to see she had some kind of black mask covering her identity. A silver glint caught his attention as she pulled a knife out of her pocket and pointed it at him.

"I'd like to give you a message to send to _Tohru Honda_…"

* * *

"I guess that makes sense."

The following morning at the home of Shigure the high school students, minus Kyo, sat together at the eating table accompanied by the adult Dog. After the call about Kyo's father's death, everyone gathered in the living room to hear the news from Shigure who had received the call from Hatori. They were all told that he was found shot in the head with a gun next to him, so it could be suicide. Everyone gave Kyo side glances, not sure what to expect from him. To their surprise he walked away calmly and went off to bed without a word to anyone. But it is now the morning and Catalyna, who had slept through the entire thing, was being informed of how Kyo may not care because he considered Shishou (who they told her about too) his father.

"I wonder if he'll attend the funeral." Yuki said as they all sat silently. "Where is he anyways?"

"On the roof." Tohru answered as she patted her school skirt and sighed. "I hope he's alright…"

"I don't know what I would do…" Momiji spoke up from beside Shigure. "If my mom died what would I have to do?"

Catalyna nodded, as he had told her the night before ,when she woke up around one in the morning and was shocked to find him sitting by her, about his mother rejecting him.

"Maybe we should stay home." Haru suggested from beside Yuki. "I don't feel like going to school anyways…"

"I don't want to either." Catalyna agreed as she sat in one of Tohru's uniforms uncomfortably. "I don't think I can handle this short a skirt." She blushed from the embarrassment.

"It's okay Lyna-kun," Momiji reached his hand out and placed it over hers as it was resting in her lap. "I'll stay here with you if you want."

Catalyna nodded as Tohru stood up with a look of determination. "Even though I want to stay home, I _must_ go to school! I will try my best when I return home!"

Yuki and Haru stood too and followed Tohru as she marched in to the living room for shoes while saying to herself "Tohru Honda never gives up!"

Shigure stretched his arms out and yawned. "Kyonkichi probably won't go to school either…" He looked at Catalyna and smiled. "Are you feeling better than last night?"

Catalyna nodded and smiled as they heard the door open and Haru call out that the three of them were leaving.

"Good, I'm glad." Shigure nodded and stood up as he scratched his arm. "I don't know what you're going to do about your mother, but you can crash here again if you're afraid to go home."

"Yay, again!" Momiji smiled at her.

She shook her head politely. "I have to go home tonight, I'm sure it will be fine, I'll just act like nothing happened."

Seeming satisfied with her answer Shigure turned and walked away to work on his latest manuscript.

"Kyo's Shishou is coming over today." Momiji told Catalyna as she sat looking off somewhere. "You'll like him, he's nice."

"I always wanted to meet a Karate master." She admitted as she turned back to Momiji, a sudden thought coming to her. "Do you think one of us should…go check on Kyo?"

Momiji's expression turned worried as he thought for a moment before answering. "I think we should, but _I'm_ not going to cause he'll probably hit _me_ and tell me to go away."

Catalyna nodded and then stood up. "I'm going to check on him, it's not fair to leave him alone feeling … I don't know what he's feeling," She walked toward the living room. "But it doesn't matter. It's not right to leave someone alone like that."

And on the roof Kyo sat alone…

Kyo looked out at the trees as he had the night before, many mixed feelings swirling inside him…

_How should I feel…?_

He tugged at his black cargo pants and then scratched his stomach under his plain white t-shirt, trying to place his feelings in a category. _I should feel sad since he's my biological dad, but he never raised me…I shouldn't care at all… _

He had not slept too well and did not care to attend school and get told off by people for being grouchy. All night he had dreamt about getting a call that _Shishou_ had been killed, not his real father. It was enough to frighten him to get out of bed at around four and begin his day.

_GROWWWLLL_

"Aw crap…" He had not eaten breakfast since he wanted to avoid a crowd of people glancing at him. Deciding he ought to listen to his stomach he got up and started to descend the ladder. Just as he made it to the last step he felt something get caught on his juzu beads and he looked up to see it was a nail sticking out of the ladder.

He carefully placed his foot in a way that may help him to keep balance, and then tried to get it off of the loose nail with his other hand..

Bad idea.

"No!" He exclaimed as he lost his balance and fell backward off the ladder, the juzu beads still caught on the nail…

"Kyo!"

Catalyna stepped outside and looked around, unable to see him on the side of the house. She began to walk to where she seen the ladder just as something large whizzed by her and into a nearby bush.

"What the…?" She failed to see what it was and so made her way over to the bush to investigate. "Hello…?" She said as she walked around it..

"AHHH!" She exclaimed and fell backwards as the large paw-like claw swung out at her. She looked up to see the large grotesque form of Kyo, and then relaxed as a thought entered her mind.

_That must be his True Form…_

She got up and cocked her head to the side as though nothing were wrong. "Hi Kyo, I was wondering-"

"Get away!" His voice rang out at her as he yelled for her to leave, but she did not move and it angered him further. "What the hell?!"

"Wait!"

She watched as he jogged off down a path and out of sight, and then knew what must have happened. _I remember Mom telling me that his bracelet was supposed to be a charm…_

She walked over to the side of the house where she had seen him run past her, and seen the bracelet on the ladder. _Now just don't fall off.. _She stepped up and managed to grab the bracelet, and then turned quickly and set off after him.

* * *

"Don't worry, Honda-san, he'll be fine."

Yuki stood outside of the student council room at school, trying to console the worried Tohru, along with Haru, Uo and Hanajima. Uo and Hanajima had been told about the unfortunate incident and so did not say anything bad about Kyo.

"Prince Charming is right, Tohru." Uo said as she patted her friends shoulder. "He seems strong, he'll hold up whether he cares or not."

"I for one, am relieved." Hana said as she looked off dreamily. "I was worried you were speaking of Kazuma Sohma. It would be a waste of looks for him to be killed."

"Huh?!" Tohru exclaimed as Uo laughed and Haru nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, he's pretty good looking." Haru said as he looked Yuki in the eye. "Definitely would be wasteful."

"Haruuu…don't look at me and say that!" Yuki warned him as the bell sounded for class.

The other four set off for class as Yuki walked in to the council room to grab his book bag. The rest of the council was also grabbing their things when Yuki noticed the daily newspaper lying on a desk. The headline caught his attention and he grabbed it quickly:

**Watch Shop Keeper's Death Suspected to be Murder**

"What the hell?!" Yuki exclaimed out loud as all the other council members turned to him in surprise.

"What is it, Yun-Yun?" Kakeru walked up behind him and read the headline. "Aw, I love that shop, how sad."

"Isn't it?" Kimi said as she held her book bag in her hand and walked over to the two. "I go this watch from there!" She held out her wrist to show them. "It's worked for almost eight years!"

"Why are you so surprised?" Nao asked as he went to walk out of the door. "There's been a lot going on; on the news there was someone found dead in some estate, and then there were two people found beat up."

"Beat up?" Machi asked in her quiet voice as she too walked over to peer at the headline. "Who are they?"

Nao scrunched his brow and replied. "One of them is in high school and the other is in middle school, but they didn't say who." He suddenly grew angry and shouted. "Who the hell cares? Tragedy strikes everyday!"

"Chibe-suki!!" Kakeru ran over and pushed the boy out in to the hall way. "Go away! No one wants your bad attitude this morning!"

"That man…" Yuki looked at the picture of the old man with a pang of guilt. _They probably killed him because he told me those things…unless they just wanted to.._

"What about him?"

Yuki looked at Machi at the sound of her voice, a sad expression taking over his features.

"I …knew him."

"Kimi's sorry, Yun-Yun." Kimi pat him on the arm in a comforting manner. "Were you two close?"

Yuki shook his head. "No, but he seemed…kind."

"President, I'm sorry but we must go to class." Machi turned and began to walk away.

"That's right! Kimi can't be late!" Kimi exclaimed as she pushed Machi out of the way and ran out of the room.

"Kimi!" Kakeru yelled but she was already gone. "Why does she always push you …?"

Machi stood still and shrugged slightly. "I don't know…but we're already late…"

Yuki scanned the picture and then began to look around the room. "Have either of you seen any scissors?"

"Nope, not me!" Kakeru walked over to the door and then pointed at Machi. "She used them last to cut hand outs in half for the culture fest, Machi can find them." He waved to Yuki and left the room.

"Machi, can you help me find the scissors?" Yuki asked politely as he began to rummage through some desk drawers.

"They're right here."

Yuki turned around to see her pick them up off of a desk close to the door and hold them out to him.

"Thank you." He said as he walked over and took them from her. "I'm just going to save this article." He said as he began to cut it out.

'It must be important if you're going through that hassle." Machi said as she watched him cut it clumsily. "What's your connection with him?"

Yuki kept his eyes on the scissors as he thought of something he could say. "Let's just say he told me some things that are _very_ personal and important.."

"Oh." Machi replied as she turned to leave. "I'm sorry, President, for your lo-"

"Ow!" Yuki said as a small amount of blood ran down his finger. "Aw crap…I cut myself." He set the article on a desk and examined the small, but painful cut. He did not realize Machi had pulled something out of her bag.

"Here."

He looked up to see she had a small bandage and some Neosporin in hand and was motioning for him to give her his finger.

He said nothing as he held it out and she applied the ointment to his finger and then bandaged it up in silence.

"Um, thank you." He said awkwardly as he felt his stomach flutter at her touch. "That was nice of you."

She blushed as she let go of his hand when she finished. "It was nothing!" She said quickly as she discarded the bandage wrapper and then turned to leave.

Yuki grabbed her wrist. "Wait, Machi." He let her go when she stopped and looked at him. He smiled at her warmly and blushed a little at his next words.

"Let me walk you to class."

She too blushed but nodded, and so he stuffed the article in his pocket and grabbed his book bag, and then the two set off as he wondered…

…_Who else could possibly end up dead…?_

* * *

"Where the hell is he?"

Catalyna walked down the path as she followed the now fading smell that would lead her to Kyo. As her nose led her off the path, she seen the bright orange hair and then looked around to see he was sitting near a small vegetable garden.

_There he is, hopefully he won't run from me. _

She cautiously stepped into the clearing and seen small bits of what she could assume was his shirt littering the ground.

"What do you want?"

She looked up from the ground to see he was giving her an unreadable expression. Without reply she walked around the small garden and sat next to him, holding out the juzu beads for him to take.

Kyo looked taken aback as he took the beads in silence and slipped them over his wrist. He looked at her as she kept her gaze glued forward and seemed to be spacing out. A few seconds slipped by of silence and he wondered if she would say anything. When she did not, he spoke as though he were offended.

"Are you just going to ignore it?!"

Catalyna turned to him in surprise. "What?"

"My _True Form_," He said in disgust. "I'm guessing you knew about it…" He looked away. _Another outsider seeing me this way…_

Catalyna nodded. "Yeah, I was told." She said casually and she turned back to look forward.

His expression changed to one of suspicion. "And you're just sitting there like it's nothing?!"

She turned back to him and spoke serious. "If you think I'm gonna run away scared, you're wrong; I've seen worse things."

Kyo knitted his brows and looked at her in bewilderment. _What the hell is worse than-?_

"And you're wondering what could be worse, right?" She cut off his thoughts and he nodded for her to continue. "With the people I had to 'manipulate' in America, there were _always_ crazy things involved…"

Kyo watched as a look of emotional pain came over her expression, but she continued.

"About a year ago, there was this boy named Kendall who I was supposed to talk to," She turned her eyes to a spot of grass, suddenly finding it interesting. "He was a year older than me and he drank and was a drug addict. One day I went over to his place and he was…"

Kyo seen her stop and he urged her to go on. "He was what…?"

"He was thrashing on the floor, screaming that something had taken over him…" She turned to Kyo and raised her eyebrows. "Then this…ghost-like thing rose from the ground and he…died."

Kyo's eyes grew wide and he turned his body toward her. "What did you do?"

"I ran home; but that's not the worst one I've seen." She shook her head and sighed.

"But, you can't beat the smell," He pointed out, feeling it was the worst. "It's like rotting flesh…"

Catalyna let out a short laugh and gave him an expression of disbelief. "Are you kidding?" She shook her head. "Try walking in to a basement, where a _psycho_ mutilated about _twenty woman _and left them there for about a _month_! It was the worst, I puked on the stairs before I even seen the bodies!"

Kyo scrunched his nose as he imagined the smell. He could not believe that she had experienced these things; how could someone seem so normal after those sort of events? _This girl has got to be off her rocker…_

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

His eyes grew wide as she voiced his thoughts. "What are you, a mind reader?"

She shook her head. "No, you just wear your thoughts on your expression."

He scolded himself for being so easy to read and then asked her another question. "If I'm not the worst you've seen, then what is?"

A sudden look of fear spread across her features and she turned away. She spoke quietly in reply. "I witnessed…a lot of things…but the one…it…"

He felt a pang of guilt as her fearful expression worsened, so he waved his hand for her to stop. "You don't have to tell me, it's alright."

Catalyna nodded. "I'm still weak when it comes to that memory. When I think on it I end up having nightmares for weeks, or insomnia out of fear of the nightmares."

Kyo nodded, he understood the lengths of nightmares and insomnia. "I know what you mean, there are just some things that cause fear when recollected." _No, don't think about it, cause then you'll start talking about it! _He scolded himself for allowing his bad memories to come in to his mind. _Just change the subject! _A question suddenly popped in his head. "Why did you tell us?"

She turned her head and a questioning expression came over her. "What?"

"Last night, you said you hadn't told anyone about your past before." He seen her nod and so he continued. "Why did you tell _us_?"

"Because, I wanted to." She said without any ounce of lie. "What I've done to people is wrong, and it's time I've stopped." She looked away and side glanced at him. "All of you, are the nicest people I've ever met…"

"Right." Kyo said sarcastically as he suddenly took up a defensive attitude. "You _pity_ us don't you? You seen that we're cursed and so you felt _guilt_ and _pity_, didn't you?"

She shook her head and turned to him, then she sighed and laughed at his assumption. "No," She said as she stopped laughing. "I pity _myself_ too much to have any left to spare."

"What?" He let her words sink in and then shook his head. "Who says something like that? 'no pity to spare', what the-?"

"Lyna-kun!!"

They both turned to see the worried Momiji just as he threw his arms around the girl's neck, surprising her and knocking her over on to Kyo.

_Poof!_

_Poof!_

"M-Momiji-kun?!" She said in surprise as the rabbit clung to her shoulder and the orange cat lay next to her head. "You…startled m-"

"Dammit!" The cat got up and shook his paw at the rabbit. "What the hell's your problem?! You can't keep your hands off of anyone!"

"But, I was worried!" The rabbit spoke up as it hopped off her shoulder and faced the cat. "She was supposed to _check_ on you, not run off with you!"

"Sorry Momiji-kun!" Catalyna said as she sat up. "We started talking and-!"

"_You_ followed me!" Kyo pointed his paw at her accusingly. "I didn't ask for you to come! What the hell-?"

"Kyo."

The three turned and Catalyna looked at a man wearing a robe in confusion. She hadn't seen him before and so stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Um hello, my name is Catalyna and wh-"

"Shishou." Kyo interrupted her and walked over to the man and sat in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

"I forgot to tell you he's here!" Momiji hopped over to Catalyna's side. "You were gone and so I went to look for both of you!"

Kazuma looked down at the cat and smiled. "I came to see how you were doing."

Kyo pawed the ground and answered grumpily. "I'm fine, you don't have to ch-"

_Poof!_

_Poof!_

"Lyna-kun, turn around we're naked!" Momiji cried out as the two boys ran behind a few trees with their clothes in hand.

"What?!" Catalyna exclaimed as she waved her hand to clear the smoke.

"They're always naked when they change back."

Catalyna looked at the man who Momiji told her was Kyo's Shishou. She bowed and introduced herself again. "Hi, my name is Catalyna Lorenzo, pleased to meet you!"

Kazuma bowed in return and introduced himself. "Kazuma Sohma, Kyo's foster father." They both stood upright and then he smiled. "So you must be the one Shigure was telling me about before Momiji dragged me away to search for you two."

"Oh, I suppose so." She gave him a worried expression. "If Shigure-san told you my story, I'm sorry. I should have never tried to manipulate your son!" She lowered her head and looked at the floor.

Kazuma looked surprised. "There's nothing to be sorry about, he said you came forward instead of continuing your…what word did he use?…'task'."

"Really?"

"Yes." Kazuma nodded and gave her a weak smile.

"I'm hungry dammit!"

Catalyna and Kazuma turned their attention to Kyo and Momiji walking away from the trees just as Kyo had yelled. They were now fully dressed and ready to go back to the house.

"Um, Honda-san left you some breakfast." Catalyna said as Kyo and Momiji stopped next to her. "It just needs to be warmed up."

Kyo tilted his head to the side. "Why do you call her that, like that damn rat does?" He shook his head and then walked toward the direction of the house. "You can call her by her first name, she doesn't care."

Catalyna winced at his words but followed as Momiji and Kazuma set off after Kyo.

About an hour after school had ended and Yuki and Tohru had gone home everyone in the house spread out a bit. Kyo and Kazuma were having some practice spars in the backyard while Tohru prepared dinner under the watchful eyes of Yuki, Momiji and Catalyna. Shigure had kept to himself in his study and did not even welcome any of the youngsters home, which was odd to say the least. But this went unnoticed as Yuki stood up and tried to help Tohru stir some sauce.

"No, Yuki-kun it's fine!" She said, politely refusing his offer of help. "Just sit and relax."

"I can't believe you manage this place." Catalyna said as she shifted uncomfortably in a chair by the counter. She had been given a short sleeved baby blue dress to wear from Tohru, who insisted she needed something other than a school uniform. _At least it's knee length. _She patted the cloth covering her lap. "Isn't it difficult? Men can be messy…"

"No, not at all!" Tohru began to stir the sauce that Yuki had tried to help her with. "I mean, the boys can be messy, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Ha ha, you're messy, Yuki!" Momiji pointed at Yuki from his chair next to Catalyna.

Yuki did not hear the conversation as he watched Kazuma tell Kyo something out of the open back door. All day at school he had thought about the old watch shop owner, and how it was almost an insult to the risk he made in telling him the information to not ask Kyo about his mother's death. He did not care to start a conflict with Kyo, and he did not know what to expect but yelling from him; but it had to be done. So without thinking on it again, Yuki watched as Kazuma told Kyo he would be back and then stepped inside the house.

"Looks delicious, Tohru-san." Kazuma said as he walked through the kitchen and to the living room.

"Thank you, Shishou-san!" Tohru said even though he had already passed through.

_Now or never.._ Yuki got up from his chair and then headed toward the back door, ignoring the house phone ring and Tohru say she would get it. He walked down the steps and stood behind Kyo, watching him throw punches and practice self-control on a standing board that he always used. He cleared his throat to let his presence he known and the Cat immediately stopped and turned to face the interrupter.

"What?" Kyo asked as his expression changed to the one of anger he always directed toward Yuki.

Yuki folded his arms and looked his cousin in the eye. "I need to ask you something, without you getting stupid and yelling."

Kyo raised his eyebrow suspiciously and then mimicked the Rat's actions and folded his arms too. "What do you want?"

Yuki took that as his non-verbal agreement to not get angry and proceeded to speak. "I don't mean to be inconsiderate of bringing up this sore subject, but it's important so-"

"Just ask me!" Kyo cut him off, quickly losing his patience.

Yuki gave him a disapproving look, but continued anyway.

"What _really_ happened to your mother?"

Kyo felt a strange wave of being caught off guard hit him and he stared at the rat wide eyed. _Is he for real? _To him, the Rat had no business asking such a question, but he stayed calm and replied. "Why do _you _want to know?"

"Because, if she was murdered then it all fits together." Yuki said, voicing his theory of how everything seemed to connect.

Kyo looked at him in confusion and disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

Though he did not care to share his thoughts, Yuki decided it best to tell him and so unfolded his arms and stepped near him so that no one else would hear.

"Someone is spilling the family secrets," Yuki began as Kyo looked at him in surprise for lessening the 'required distance' between the two. "And now your father is found dead. I think that it was murder, and that it was those people Angelo and Vanessa. If they killed your father, I can't help but think they had something to do with your mother's death as well."

Kyo took a step back as everything Yuki said confused him further. "Why are you even asking about this stuff?" He suddenly felt angry at how personally invaded he was feeling. "You've heard the rumors about her, they all say it was suicide."

Yuki grew impatient and so shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out the article about the watch owner. "Not according to _this_ man." He said as he held it out and Kyo took it. "_He_ said he watched Angelo and Vanessa tail her, and then she ended up dead. His son was killed by that family and he was positive they murdered your mother."

Yuki stopped as he watched Kyo scan the article, seeming calm and collected. He was about to open his mouth to speak again, but stopped as Kyo turned around and threw his fist at the board.

_CRACK!_

Kyo had put his fist straight through the thick wood and then pulled it out, leaving a large gaping hole. Yuki was surprised as Kyo suddenly rounded on him in anger.

"Why are you invading my life?!" Kyo yelled at the Rat, his eyes slit in fury. "Anything in my past is _none_ of your damn business!!"

The sound of foot steps was heard and Yuki turned to see Tohru, Momiji and Catalyna all standing at the back door and wearing expressions of confusion and alarm.

"K-Kyo-kun, please don't be angry!" Tohru exclaimed as she stepped outside and onto the wooden porch. "Please don't fight with-!"

"I've been holding back!" Kyo cut her off without taking his glare away from Yuki. "I haven't tried fighting you for almost a year! Now I'm going to kick your ass for getting in my business!" He stepped forward and grabbed the unsuspecting Yuki by his collar and pulled his fist back, ready to punch him.

"STAY OUT OF MY LIFE, DAMN RA-!"

"STOP!"

Kyo let go of Yuki as Shigure now stood outside of the door, and had been the one who yelled at them.

"There's no time for you two to fight!" Shigure said as he beckoned all of the teens to go inside. "We have to leave right now, so come in and hurry!"

"What's going on, Shigure?" Yuki asked, knowing all too well that this behavior from the Dog was unusual.

Shigure turned with his expression full of worry.

"Last night in the park, Rin and Hiro were found beaten bloody!"

* * *

**A/N: **Dun dun dun! Sorry this one took me longer and it was a little on the uneventful side! Do you guys like Catalyna? Cause I know how I usually feel about OC people and I usually don't like them. **IMPORTANT:**Okay **I have a question **for all of you, and I need you to answer in a review so that I can tally it up; **have you all read the entire series? **I need to know so that I don't write spoilers, and if you've all read the whole thing then I need to know for some stuff in here. If there's anyone who has not then I'll be able to work around that. But for right now just leave me a review letting me know whether or not you've read the whole Fruits Basket series.


	17. That Look

**A/N: **Okay I got a very small response to my question and so I've decided not to write any big spoilers. I do wonder if this is losing fans, but maybe it's not. Anyways, I'm going to try and make the chapters a bit shorter, since I for one think they're pretty damn long. It only takes me a couple hours to type up a chapter cause I sit and actually write it while I'm typing; no rough draft and no prior outline, all in my head J But anyways, on to the chapter! Ride Destiny!

* * *

**Chapter 17: That Look**

"Hiro-chan, Hiro-chan!"

The emergency room that Rin and Hiro occupied was filled with Sohma family members and some nurses checking on the two. Kisa was sobbing in to the sheets at Hiro's bedside while he lay asleep. Haru was sitting next to Rin, looking at her in disbelief because her hair had all been cut off. Though she had told him to go away several times, he could not help it as he studied her short hair and temper. The rest of the zodiac, Hiro's mother, and Kazuma all stood around either in the room or outside of the room. Hatori was currently asking one of the doctors some questions just to be sure the hospital had done their job right.

"No internal bleeding?" Hatori asked the short man who was to take care of the two.

"No." The doctor replied.

"No crushed organs, fractures, broken bones, concussions, fevers or memory loss?"

"No, sir," The doctor replied again but this time went on. "The only thing wrong with either of them is on the surface, and that's only bruises, some small scratches and cuts and the younger one had to have stitches because he was cut on his arm with what I think was a knife."

Yuki stood outside of the room with Momiji, both a little ways away from Hatori.

"Do you think…?" Momiji suddenly turned to Yuki with a questioning expression.

"Hm?" Yuki asked, looking at the boy's face. Wow, he's gotten so much older… I think he could pull off the guy's uniform now.

"Do you think Lyna-kun should come inside and …" He side glanced at Hatori to make sure he was still talking to the doctor. "Talk to Rin and Hiro? You know, just to be sure it was those _people_ she's related to."

Yuki shook his head. "No, I don't think that's a good idea with Rin's temper and Hiro's big mouth. She hasn't even met either of them yet."

"Yeah, you're right." Momiji nodded in agreement, and then turned to Yuki again with another question. "Is Kyo outside with Lyna-kun and Tohru?"

Yuki nodded. "Yeah, he's making sure they don't get attacked. I don't think anything will happen to them, but I guess safety is first."

And outside of the hospital, Tohru sat with Kyo while Catalyna stood off to the side…

"But she really thinks it's her fault."

Tohru tried to whisper to Kyo as the two sat on a ledge outside of the hospital and Catalyna stood a good six feet away from them. Upon arriving at the hospital it was soon discovered that it had indeed been Angelo and Vanessa who had beaten the two. Catalyna did not go inside at all, feeling that it was entirely her fault.

"That's stupid." Kyo whispered back. "It's not her fault; she needs to stop thinking that way."

"I hope she's alright…" Tohru said as she looked at the back of Catalyna. She was facing the street with her arms folded in front of her. Tohru suddenly called out her name.

"Lyna-kun, will you sit with us?"

Catalyna turned around, her expression blank. She nodded and then walked over and sat on Tohru's other side with her legs crossed, arms still folded and looking away from them.

Tohru glanced nervously at Kyo and he nodded for her to try to talk to her. She turned back to the upset girl. "Lyna-kun, it's not your fault, you have nothing to do with what happened to Isuzu-san and Hiro-san."

Catalyna did not respond. _I can't believe this, more people getting hurt because of them…_ She trailed off in her thoughts as she knew that the possibility of more people getting hurt was now at it's highest.

Tohru turned to Kyo with a look of defeat and sighed. He leaned forward a bit to look at Catalyna. "Hey, you,"

Catalyna still did not respond, but he continued.

"Stop thinking it's your fault, that's just _dumb_." He tried to sound comforting, but it was difficult since she was still turned the other way. "It's not like you were there throwing punches along with them, so stop being stubborn cause you're not responsible in any way."

Tohru looked between the two nervously, not sure if Catalyna would turn and start arguing like Uo, get scared like Shigure, ignore him like Hatori or start crying like herself. When Catalyna did not respond in any way, Kyo stood up.

"Hey, I'll be right back." He said to Tohru as she nodded. "I'm going inside to get some water, want anything?"

Tohru shook her head and Kyo repeated the question to Catalyna. She finally turned and shook her head too, then mumbled. "No, thank you."

Kyo set off toward the doors as Tohru watched him walk away. Catalyna looked at her, studying the expression on her face and knowing all too well what it meant. She voiced the truth straight out for the girl:

"You _love _him."

Tohru turned to Catalyna wide eyed and with a slight blush creeping on to her cheeks. "E-excuse me?"

"I know _that look _anywhere." Catalyna continued as a small smile formed on her lips. "You're _head-over-heels in love _with him."

The slight blush grew to a full on red faced flush. "I-I don't know…what you're…" She trailed off in defeat.

Catalyna patted her knee. "Hey, T-Tohru…can I call you that?" Tohru nodded and she continued. "Have you told him?" She asked, though she had seen enough of Tohru's personality to guess she had not.

"No, I can't." She looked Catalyna straight in the eye. "I can't tell him, it will ruin everything because he doesn't feel the same."

Catalyna raised her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?" She asked in disbelief. "He feels something for you, can't you tell?"

Tohru shook her head. _Kyo-kun doesn't feel the same… no way! _"What makes you say he does?"

"Well," Catalyna started to brush her hair back with her hands and tie it in a ponytail. "He gives you _that look _too, when you don't see it."

Tohru looked away as she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. She could not believe that what Catalyna was saying could be true. If it was true, then what would happen when graduation came? The fear of his confinement had kept Tohru tossing and turning all night for weeks, along with the fear of Angelo and Vanessa wanting her dead. It was becoming too much for her, and at this moment as she sat with her friend, she felt as though she might explode. A heavy weight formed in her chest and she could feel her stomach falling as she let the tears come out.

"What's wrong?" Catalyna asked in alarm from the unexpected crying and she grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. "What's wrong, Tohru?"

"K-Kyo-kun," She sobbed as the river of tears she had kept to herself fell full out. "He's going to leave me! He's going to be…confined."

* * *

"So it was him."

The Sohma estate had been freed of the crime investigators and had now returned to its normal quiet. Akito sat in her large robes outside of her room on the porch, a letter in hand as she spoke to Kureno who was lingering in the doorway behind her.

"It was him who was spilling the secrets…" She scanned the letter addressed to Kyo, her face turning in to a look of absolute disgust.

"Akito, are you going to let him read it?" Kureno stepped out of the doorway and sat down next to her. "He should know all these things."

Akito turned to the man beside her with a look of disbelief. "He'll read it when the time comes. For now, I want those two people locked away for what they've done to my zodiac."

Kureno looked uneasy. "What about …Tohru Honda?"

At that Akito crumbled the letter in her fist and threw it behind her in to the room. "I don't care what happens to her!" She raised her voice slightly. "That letter points out that the _monster's_ father spilled the secrets!"

Kureno tried to calm her as she stood up and made her way inside. He got up and followed. "Please be calm Akito, the police are on it!"

The woman ignored him as she picked up the crumbled letter and held it in her hand. She turned around to face the towering height of the former rooster. "Kureno, if his father is capable of spilling secrets, wouldn't it be sensible that…" Her voice dropped to a whisper as she took a step toward him and placed her palm on his chest. "…Kyo would spill secrets too?"

Kureno shook his head. "I don't think he would." He spoke firmly, despite the fact he feared for the juunishi.

Akito smiled evilly. "Oh, but _I_ do…and I plan to make sure he doesn't."

* * *

"It's not fair, you're right in trying to break the curse."

Catalyna and Tohru had decided to take a walk around the hospital that way they could talk in peace. They were somewhere in the back where they would be unseen on a sidewalk that the hospital's view was blocked from by trees. Tohru had told Catalyna all about Kyo's confinement and the time he had left. Catalyna was agreeing once again that Tohru was right in wanting to save the family.

"But, a bond is…" Tohru said as the two girls kept walking. She looked up at the sky as some clouds darkened it to a gray, not surprising anyone as it was about time for winter. "A bond is…sacred."

"Not _that kind _of bond." Catalyna said as she folded her arms and shivered when a slight wind started to blow. "This isn't very fair to you…"

Tohru turned her head to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"You're already worried about the curse," Catalyna held herself tighter as another wind blew by and messed up the two girl's bangs. "Now you're being forced to worry about Angelo and Vanessa."

Tohru turned her attention to the ground. "I don't care if…I am _killed_ by them, as long as it's not before I find a way to save the wonderful Sohmas."

The black haired girl turned to the brunette impressed by her bravery. She knew that coming forward to everyone meant that they might want to help her, but it also meant that she wanted to help them. She decided to turn the conversation back to Kyo, not wanting to talk about Angelo and Vanessa anymore. "So, what are you going to do about Kyo?"

Tohru turned her gaze back to Catalyna as her cheeks tinged pink. "I don't know…maybe I should tell him." As they walked she had thought on this option. But, more than rejection she feared an ending to their friendship. "I just don't want to lose him…"

Catalyna put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "You should do what you _feel _is right." She smiled at her weakly. "There are some things that people need to do, otherwise they could come to regret it later on. Do you know what I mean?"

Tohru nodded. "Yes, I do."

A comfortable silence took over them as they walked back around to the front of the hospital to find Kyo walking out of the entrance and looking around frantically. They approached him and he relaxed immediately when he seen the two.

"Where the hell did you guys go?" He asked with a hint of worry.

"A walk." Catalyna answered as she removed her arm from Tohru's shoulder. "We were bored."

Kyo cocked an eyebrow at her suspiciously. "Oh, _now_ your talking?"

Catalyna nodded and then turned to Tohru. "I'm gonna go home, my Mom is probably worried." She looked past Tohru toward the entrance to see the blonde haired Momiji jogging over to them.

"Hey!" He said as he stopped next to them. "Rin and Hiro are fine; they're just pretty bruised up."

"Thank goodness." Tohru said as she put her hands together in front of her. She turned to Catalyna with a smile. "Wait, do you want to meet the rest of the zodiac?"

Catalyna shook her head wide eyed. "N-no I really should go home."

"Lyna-kun is going home?" Momiji asked in a sad tone.

"What are you going to do, walk?" Kyo asked with his suspicious expression still in place.

Catalyna nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna walk."

"You shouldn't walk alone." Kyo said as he put his hands in his pockets. "It's dangerous with those two idiots running around."

"Wait! Lyna-kun," Momiji chimed as he grabbed the girl's hand. "I'll call my driver and I'll take you home!"

"Uh-uh n-no it's fine!" Catalyna blushed as the hyper boy held her hand tighter.

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer!"

Thirty minutes later Catalyna was reluctantly sitting in the back seat of the black four door car with Momiji. She kept quiet as he rambled about school and the culture festival and all sorts of other things that she had trouble keeping track of.

"I can't wait to see the play at the culture fest! I wonder if you'll get a part?! That would be so cool if you did Lyna-kun! But I wonder what play they're doing? But oh well maybe we should hang out, oh are you hungry?! I'm really hungry it's about dinner time do you want to stop?! We should stop and eat somewhere! Where do you want to-?"

"Momiji-kun!" Catalyna grabbed his shoulders, which she was shocked to find were a lot wider than she expected and he stopped immediately. "Calm down, take it slow, okay?"

Momiji looked at her in confusion, and then his expression changed to one of deep thought. He sat back against the seat without looking away from her and she let go of his shoulders.

"Lyna-kun?"

She looked at him wide eyed as his voice had suddenly turned very calm and a lot more….manlike? She shivered under his gaze and wondered if he just faked the little boy voice in front of everyone. She stuttered in response. "Y-yes?"

"What's going to happen now?" He did not look away as he watched her struggle with herself for a response. He sat up and leaned toward her, causing her face to redden and her to lean back until she hit the seat.

"W-what do you mean?" She stuttered as he stopped about six inches from her face.

He sighed and glanced out of the window before meeting her eyes again. "I mean…from your past experience with these people…what do they usually do next?"

She looked down in her lap as the response formed in her mind. "Well, it depends…they usually don't hurt small children such as the boy Hiro-san…" She knew the worst was that they would succeed and kill Tohru, but before that if _anyone_ got in the way they would kill them too. "Anything can happen…from here."

Momiji leaned back against the seat without turning away from her. "Are you sure…you should go home?"

Catalyna nodded. "Yes, I need to so my Mom won't suspect anything."

Momiji nodded, though his thoughts objected greatly. _She shouldn't go home, especially if those two know where she lives. What if they hurt her? That wouldn't be fair if anything happened to her…_

…_and any one of us could have stopped it. _

* * *

_What should I do…?_

Tohru stood at the kitchen sink at home washing the dishes after dinner. It had been a few hours since they left the hospital, and Tohru was turning over her conversation with Catalyna in her head.

"_You should do what you feel is right." _

Catalyna's voice echoed in her head. Yes, she agreed with her words but…_What do I feel is right?_

"Tohru."

"EEP!" She jumped in surprise and turned around to see Kyo standing a few feet behind her. She calmed immediately and took a breath. "You startled me."

"Sorry." Kyo said as he shoved his hands in his sweat pant pockets. He felt his face grow red as she looked him in the eyes expectantly. He spoke quietly as he held her gaze and his stomach fluttered annoyingly. "I wanted to tell you something."

Tohru reached behind her without looking away and shut the faucet off. "Okay." She said giving him her full attention.

"I think you should," He began, mentally cursing his body for longing for her. "Watch yourself more… at school, work and in public."

She nodded in comprehension. "Yes, I'll be watching more closely." She felt her knees growing weak under his eyes and leaned her back against the counter for support. "Thank you for worrying." She said weakly.

_Do something, do something you idiot! _His brain urged him in this chance to tell her how he felt. _But so much has happened today, it's probably not the best time. _

Tohru's face turned a deep red as she felt her knees growing weaker. _Why is he looking at me like that…? I can't breathe right…or think…_

Her knees finally gave out and she felt and she felt her body fall forward.

"Whoa!" Kyo caught her by the shoulders and steadied her at arms-length, careful not to bring forth the Cat. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

She looked at him wide eyed and then stood up straight when her knees felt whole again. She responded quickly as he let go of her shoulders. "Nothing's wrong! I just got a little…dizzy."

Kyo looked at her unconvinced. "Dizzy from what? Are you sick?"

"Um…no I…" The words stopped as he pressed his hand to her forehead. Without meaning to her eyes slid closed and her breath sped up with her heart rate. The simple gesture was too much for her to handle, especially when she planned on telling him her feelings in the near future.

"You're a little warm." Kyo said as he pulled his hand away and her eyes opened again. "You should get some sleep; I'll finish up in here." He reached behind her and turned on the faucet to finish the dishes.

"O-okay." Tohru agreed reluctantly, knowing if she argued he would put his foot down and she would end up in bed either way. With a heavy heart she turned and walked toward the door. "Good night, Kyo-kun."

"Night."

Climbing up the stairs proved difficult as her mind clouded over with thoughts of telling him. The rejection, humiliation, pain, heartbreak, and the possible sickness and sadness that would follow. She changed in to her pajamas in the dark and climbed in to bed, pulling the covers over herself and rolling on to her side to think about what to do.

_I'll tell him…in the next few days…I'll gather my strength and tell him when my courage is at it's highest…_

Her eyes began to droop, surprising her as to how worn out the day had actually made her. With one last thought, she drifted off to sleep.

_Even if he doesn't feel the same…I'll still find a way to free him of the curse…_

* * *

"I assume they trust you by _now_."

Catalyna had gotten home to find her mother was not even there and she rejoiced in being able to be alone for a while. A couple hours later though, her mother had come home and was happy that her daughter had spent the night at their house; of course, because then that meant she could get closer to them.

"Huh?" Catalyna looked up from her spot on the floor where she sat eating a bowl of ramen and reading a text book in her lap.

Florentina was sitting on the couch watching a television program, and then she turned to her daughter and repeated her words. "I assume they trust you by now."

Catalyna shook her head and turned back to her book. "No, I don't think I'm quite there yet." Carefully hiding her eyes she kept them glued to the page, knowing very well how to lie to anyone. "It's going to take more time."

Florentina's face turned in to a scowl as she grew angry. "We don't have _more time_, Catalyna." She got off the couch and kneeled next to her daughter, grabbing her face and turning it roughly toward her. "You need to speed things up! If that boy doesn't trust you by next week, I'll personally find the truth myself!!"

Catalyna held her expression blank, knowing that reacting would only make it worse. _Just stay calm, even though her grip hurts just stay calm…_

The woman studied the girl's eyes, and then let go of her and stood up. "You better get the job done, if you want to avenge your father's death."

Catalyna waited until her Mom walked out of the room and in to her bedroom, then she rubbed her face and winced. Her Mom usually would grab her when she was angry; never hit her. But, there had been times when she thought her Mom might slap her, especially when she threw a fit from having to move to Japan.

_Oh well…_ She thought as she turned back to her text book and tried to read some story that Uo had told her was an assignment for class. She found it hard to concentrate when her mind kept drifting off to a certain blonde haired boy…

She shook her head and felt herself blush. _Why am I thinking about him? I shouldn't be blushing when he talks to me… it's not right. _She shook the thought away and started to read where she left off:

_Katsume watched as the boy walked across the hall. From where she stood at her locker, he seemed like a golden boy with an ego bigger than the country. She studied him; his eyes she could not see but his hair was stunning. A bright blonde top that reminded her of summer…_

"Crap…" Catalyna stopped reading when the description shoved the boy back in to her head. _This is stupid! I feel like I'm in some stupid drama filled, cliché written fan fiction! _

Grumbling about 'stupid people and stupid books' she got up with her book and bowl and set off for her bedroom.

_Drama or not, Angelo and Vanessa need to be locked up soon…_

And across town at the hospital a tiger slept soundly next to a stirring sheep…

Hiro opened his eyes, squinting instantly when the bright light above him stung his tired pupils. Soreness consumed his entire body and his stitches were itching uncomfortably. Warmth to his left drew his attention and he looked to his side and gasped.

Sleeping and hugging his arm was the girl he had been in love with for a very long time; Kisa.

He gulped when she snuggled closer and groaned as though having an eventful dream. _What is she doing here…?_

"Don't wake her."

Hiro looked in the direction of the voice to find Hatori, Ayame, Shigure and Ritsu seated between the two beds. His attention was turned mostly to Hatori, who had spoke and who's presence always demanded the respect and attention.

"What are you-?"

"Don't speak." Ayame said firmly. "Just listen."

Hiro nodded and gave the adults his full attention.

"Hiro, things are becoming quite dangerous." Shigure started. "We've been debating on what to do with this situation."

"Rin told us that these people wanted to scare Honda-kun," Hatori said. "That your beating served as some kind of warning."

Hiro nodded, glancing at Ritsu in confusion and wondering why the man was even there in the first place. Everyone knew that Ritsu could not hold his own for more than a few minutes, but at the moment he seemed very calm.

"Hiro-chan, we're trying to warn the entire zodiac about something." Ayame said every glint of happiness in his usual behavior gone. "Something that is going to happen soon…"

"Akito is going to do something…" Shigure said as he narrowed his eyes at the wall. "Something stupid and unnecessary."

"Very unnecessary." Hatori added.

"But Ritsu has come up with an idea to prevent this stupid thing from happening." Ayame gestured to Ritsu, who still remained calm. "He thinks we should all stand up and stop Akito before he gets himself killed. He won't listen to anyone, but maybe he'll listen to _all of us_."

The adults remained quiet as Hiro let the information sink in. He glanced at Kisa to see she was still sleeping, then at the other bed to see Rin fast asleep and then turned to the adults.

"What is he going to do…?"

* * *

**A/N: **Dun, dun, DUN!! Hey readers thanks again for reading my story! I know you've all been waiting for Kyo and Tohru to get a move on, so guess what? I'm not telling you! You have to read the next chapter!! Now if you have the chance leave me a review letting me know your thoughts on this chapter or the story over all so far! Thanks for reading!


	18. I Don't Believe You

**A/N: **Yeek! Yay! Chapter 18! How did it get this far? I'd like to thank everyone reading, alerting and reviewing. Thanks for the encouragement, I'm glad you guys like this story so much! Now, don't hate me when you're done with this chapter. Destiny and I are walking away with our heads hanging and bracing ourselves for…not so nice feedback.

* * *

**Chapter 18: I Don't Believe You**

The squeak of the bed springs sounded as the very tired and restless form of Arisa Uotani rolled over in her sleep. Actually, it was not sleep, more like eyes closed.

"Mmm…" She groaned as one very tired eye slid open and she looked at the ceiling, now on her back._ Why can't I sleep tonight? This totally sucks…I'll be tired as hell for work tomorrow…_

She rolled over again, now on her side and dreaded the following morning. She closed the one eye she had opened and was drifting off to sleep…

_Rap, rap, rap._

The sharp sound of knuckles hitting her bedroom window made her sit up instantly and look toward the curtains. Her window was about three feet away from her bed and she looked over to her night stand to see the time displayed on her digital clock.

_Two in the morning?! Who the hell would be knocking on my window at this hour…? _

She suddenly remembered a time when this same thing had happened and the person had been Tohru. But that was in middle school and the reason being that the very vulnerable brunette had been picked on by some boy.

_Rap, rap, rap. _

She threw her covers off and grumbled as she walked toward the window. With assuming that it would be Tohru, she opened the curtains and gasped as she saw the towering red haired man outside of her window, shivering from the winter air…

"Kureno?!"

* * *

"Today's the day, it has to be today!"

Monday at lunch time is when the pep talk Tohru was giving herself was currently taking place. She was alone, waiting for the arrival of her friends, and of course now Catalyna. The reason for the pep talk stood across the lunch hall, leaning against a wall and talking to a couple of guys with his hands in his pockets and his orange bangs hovering a bit over his eyes.

_Oh dear…_ What had she gotten herself in to? Yes, she had resolved on the Thursday of the previous week to tell him how she felt within the next few days, but failed to do so all weekend. She had told herself that she would when her courage was at the highest, and that time had yet to come.

"Hi, Tohru!"

Tohru looked to her left as Catalyna sat down, shortly followed by Uo and Hanajima who sat across from the two. "Hello, everyone!"

Hanajima gave Tohru a very slight questioning expression. "Tohru, I was wondering about something."

Tohru nodded and smiled for her friend to continue.

Hanajima turned in the direction of Kyo. "Kyo-kun seems to be leaving himself wide open to any girl who might…hug him." She turned back to Tohru to see the girl's happy expression gone. "What would happen if that were to occur? Would everyone's memories in this cafeteria have to be erased?"

Tohru shrugged as the other two turned to her, obviously interested in the answer. "I really don't know, I would think that would be the thing to do…" She let her gaze slowly creep over to Kyo, to see him now standing and looking a bit annoyed at one of the guys he was with. She watched him for a moment, until he turned his head and met her eyes, instantly causing her heart to skip a beat and heat to rise in her cheeks. She felt herself blush more as he gave her a small, but honest, smile.

Uo looked at her, a worried expression etched across her features as she remembered a couple nights ago…

"_Kureno?!" _

_Uo instantly slid open the window and the cold air caused goose bumps to erupt all over her body. "What are you doing here? How did you get my address?!" She demanded in a whisper as she moved aside and he climbed in. _

"_Tohru Honda-san gave me your address," Kureno said as he slid the window shut and turned to her. "It's a good thing she did to, because I have to warn you about something." _

_Uo still could not get over the shock that the man who she had been missing so much just showed up at her window at two in the morning. She shook her head and registered what he had said. "Warn me about what?"_

_Kureno placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know you don't know much about the Sohma family, but all I can tell you is that there's a secret that's been kept for generations and its part of the reason for panic now. Your friend Honda-san is in trouble with the Lorenzo family, you know that right?" _

_Uo nodded eagerly. "I know about the Sohma family too." She said without thinking. _

_Kureno's eyes grew wide and he retracted his hands from her shoulders. "What do you know…?"_

"_About the curse and the Chinese zodiac thing." Uo said, becoming anxious with every passing second. "I know how you can't hug members of the opposite sex and all that stuff…"_

"_How do you know?" Kureno demanded instantly. _

"_I saw Tohru hug Orangey." She said, and then shook her head realizing that he may not understand the nickname. "I meant Kyo Sohma." _

"_How long have you known?! Does Akito know this?!" Kureno frantically grasped her shoulders again. "Does he know?" _

_Uo shook her head. "No, that writer Shigure said we don't need to tell this 'head of the family'." She tensed up and Kureno's panic began to leave. "But what were you saying about Tohru?" _

_Kureno seemed to suddenly snap back to his calm and collected self. "I came because of Akito, he's going to do something stupid and he's going to try to get her to go with him…" _

_Uo raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Go with him where?" _

"_I can't tell you." Kureno let go of her shoulders and headed toward the window to leave. "All I can tell you is that she can't be left alone with him, or left alone at all for that matter." _

_Uo stepped next to him. "What do you mean? Should I ask her to stay here?" She began to panic and grabbed his arm. "Should I get her out of that house? What's going on who can I trust?" _

_Kureno turned to look her in the eye as he slid open the window and the slight wind blew through his hair. "You can trust the Sohmas…except Akito. The entire zodiac is trying to prevent Akito from doing something stupid, but it's proving difficult."_

_Uo watched as he turned away and stepped out of the window. He was going to leave and this would be her one chance to say something to him… _

"_Wait!" _

_She grabbed the back of his shirt and he turned around to face her. "I wanted to see you…so what about me?" Uo said as tears started to form in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly and angrily and then felt his arms suddenly wrap around her and pull her to his chest. _

"_Arisa…" He breathed in her hair as she was now halfway out of the window. "I wanted to see you too…"_

_Uo pulled away instantly and looked him up and down. "You didn't…change in to anything…I thought you were cursed too?" _

_He shook his head sadly. "No, my curse has been broken for a long time." _

_Uo stood in shock as he turned around and walked briskly down the hallway and turned a corner. _

* * *

_A few more minutes…I'm so nervous!_

After lunch time Tohru had tried to pluck up the courage to talk to Kyo, but failed miserably when he lightly bopped her on the head with his fist and blushed when she smiled at him. Though, his blush gave a little hope and she decided that it was 'after school or never'.

Now it is after school.

She stood with Momiji, Catalyna, Uo and Hanajima out in the emptying hall way, waiting for Kyo to show up and they would walk home as usual.

Momiji turned to Tohru, leaving a conversation about Mogeta with Hanajima. "Tohru, what's wrong? You look nervous."

"Eh?" She looked around avoiding his eyes and lied through her teeth. "No! I'm perfectly fine what makes you say I'm nervous?!"

"Because you're panicking."

Tohru turned around at the voice behind her and blushed to find it was Kyo. She knew that he could see her face turning redder and redder but she recovered quickly as the butterflies had a field-day in her stomach. "I'm not nervous!"

"What's up with you, Tohru?" Uo asked as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You look like a tomato."

"I do?!"

"Yes, you do."

Now Tohru turned around again to find Yuki and Haru standing next to Momiji. She shook her head frantically at Yuki, who had been the one to speak.

Yuki pressed his palm to her head. "Do you have a fever?"

Tohru leapt back and almost hit Kyo. "No! I'm fine!" _Stop blushing so much! I need a distraction…some kind of way to get him alone…_

Catalyna shook her head, knowing all too well that Tohru was nervous because she planned on telling Kyo. She looked across the hall at an open door and looked in to see the room empty but with the lights on. As she leaned over a bit, Tohru's prayers for a distraction were answered as Catalyna exclaimed loudly…

"A piano!"

Everyone's attention suddenly drew to her as she ran in to the room and over to the piano with a smile.

Slowly, everyone began to follow her in to the room and Tohru took this chance to pull Kyo aside. _Just be brave…Courage! _

She lightly tapped his shoulder as he tried to follow everyone in to the room . He turned around and raised an eyebrow as in saying 'Yes?'

"Um, Kyo-kun…" She looked at the floor. "Can I talk to you?"

And in the room the distracted remained…

"Lyna-kun, do you play?"

Catalyna sat down at the bench, then turned around to look at Yuki. "Is it okay if I play something?"

Yuki shrugged and smiled. "It should be okay, people come in her all the time just to mess with that thing. This is the music room."

Catalyna smiled and turned around, ready to play her favorite song.

"Wait," Uo said as she peered out of the door at Kyo and Tohru, who were standing across the hall. "Why are they out there…?"

"Leave them." Catalyna said without turning around. "Leave her alone, she's going to tell him something important."

Haru raised his eyebrow and stood next to her. "Is she going to tell him….that she loves him?"

Catalyna nodded and everyone looked around at each other. She finally looked around at everyone and said "And that's why we're in here, and they're out there."

Hana gave a very (very very) small smile. "Why, Lyna-kun, you meant this as a way to give them privacy."

Catalyna nodded and placed her fingers on the keys. "Now, I really think we should stay in here…"

"I play violin." Momiji said as he plopped down next to her and smiled. "We should play together! How long have you played the piano?"

"Well, I only play by ear." Catalyna said, and with some confused looks from people she explained herself. "I don't know how to read the notes or know what the keys are…I just play what sounds right."

Momiji smiled and gave her a soft shove. "Well go on, show us what you know!"

_Here goes nothing….my crappy talent…_ Catalyna blushed, feeling Momiji's eyes on her. She sat up straight and began to play the introduction to her favorite song: Come Home by One Republic.

And out in the hall, the Onigiri struggled with herself…

Tohru looked up at Kyo, feeling her courage come to the surface as he looked at her with gentle eyes. She stepped forward so there was only a foot between them.

"Kyo-kun," She began shaky as her hands began to tremble and her legs slowly started to feel like Jello. "I want to tell you something…that's important to me."

"Okay," He nodded and shifted his weight evenly on his two feet. "I'm listening."

Tohru gulped as she looked in to his eyes. "You see, I told myself that I would tell you when I felt the most courage and strength to…and that happens to be right now."

She glanced at the music room and was happy to see everyone paying attention to Catalyna's playing. She sighed and continued.

"You see, Kyo-kun, for a long time there's been a certain…feeling inside of me. I'm not sure when it started, but I know I realized it when you made me the leek soup when I was sick." She watched as his cheeks tinged pink and he looked at the wall beside them. But he did not say anything and so she went on.

"At first I was scared because I didn't know how to handle it. I had never felt the…strange tingling in my stomach and my knees shake when I was around anyone." She felt her courage start to slip as the pink on his cheeks began to subside and he looked like he was concentrating on the wall very hard. _Oh no, what if I'm bothering him? But I have to do this, I can't give up! I want him to know, even if the feeling isn't mutual. _

She swallowed and felt her breath starting to speed up in her nervousness. "You are the most _wonderful person _I have ever met…and I'm so _happy _that you broke through the roof that day."

_What is she saying? _Kyo kept his eyes glued on the wall, afraid that if he looked at her he may do something stupid…like kiss her. _This sounds like the things I should be saying to her…and why is she so nervous? _He chanced a glance at her and did not look back at the wall as their eyes locked, setting off the fluttering in his stomach.

"I want you to know," Tohru said as she felt the familiar feeling of her knees growing weak. "That I'm happy we've grown so close."

Her knees gave out when he gave her a weak smile, and he caught her by the shoulders like he had before. This time, though, they were much closer with only a few inches between their bodies.

"Are you okay?" Kyo asked as he studied her face for any signs of a fever. "Maybe we should go home…"

"No!" Tohru said at once and she managed to stand on her feet but not pull away from him. "No, I have to tell you this." Some more courage came in to her from an unknown source and she placed her hands on his upper arms, gripping them a little to keep her nervousness in check.

"Are you sure?" He asked in a worried tone, blush creeping up his cheeks when her hands gripped his arms. "Cause if you're sick, we really should get you-"

"I love you."

Tohru cut him off with her confession before he went on. She felt the strange relief as the words left her mouth, but stuttered a bit as she continued on. "Y-you don't have to say anything, I just wanted you t-to know because it's true and I lo-"

"Don't say it."

She looked at him to see his gaze at the ground between them. She had expected rejection, but was not sure what make of this. She tilted her head to the side. "Say what?"

Kyo looked up and straight in to her eyes. "Don't say you love me…if you don't mean it." He watched as her expression changed to confusion. _She could not have meant it, why would she? It's impossible for someone like her to love someone like me. I'm selfish and angry, she's selfless and hopeful. I don't want her to say it…even if she means it, which I doubt she does, because then what happens after graduation…?_

Tohru closed her eyes and nodded. "Kyo-kun, I mean it more than I've ever meant anything else I've said." She opened her eyes to see his doubtful ones. "Please believe me…"

The sound of the piano stopping caught the people in the music room's attention…

"Why'd you stop?" Momiji asked as Catalyna took her hands away from the keys and looked around the room.

"Something's not right." She said as she got up and looked around the room, confusing everyone at her actions.

"What do you mean?" Hanajima asked as she braided Uo's hair on a desk.

"It's a gut feeling, like something's wrong." Catalyna said as she thought to herself. _I hope I'm wrong, I usually have these when something bad is going to happen…_

Back out in the hall the no longer present music did not affect either one…

"You have to believe me, Kyo-kun." Tohru begged as she squeezed his arm gently.

"I'm sorry," Kyo said without taking his eyes away from hers and still gripping her shoulders. "But I can't believe it."

Tohru thought for a moment before she said shyly. "Then, I have to convince you…"

The muscles in her legs stretched as she slowly stood on tip toe, allowing her eyes to close. As to where the bravery came from, it was beyond her. All she knew was that Kyo did not believe her, and there was no way that would pass for this confession. And so, with all the courage she could muster, she tilted her head up and gently pressed her lips against his.

Kyo's eyes were wide with shock. _She's kissing me, she's kissing me! _He felt his body begging to respond to her kiss, but his mind running a million miles per hour kept him glued in the position; eyes wide open as the girl of his dreams kissed him.

_He's not doing anything…maybe I crossed the line! _Tohru kept her eyes closed, shutting them tighter as the seconds went by in silence.

_Do something, idiot! _Kyo urged himself. _You've been waiting for this, do something. _

He gently squeezed her shoulders and his eyes slid closed. He returned the pressure and felt her tense up for a moment, but then relax as he began to move his lips against hers…

…..It was bliss.

He felt his body pull away from her, but in such a daze he thought it was his own will, until he felt hands grip his shoulders from behind and pull him completely away from her.

He turned around to see two men in black suits grabbing him, and their strength was too much as they pulled him down the hallway.

Tohru felt the emptiness as she kept her eyes closed, afraid of what she might see in his if she opened them. _He pulled away, maybe he doesn't care…_

"What are you doing with Kyon?"

Uo's voice caused Tohru to open her eyes and see the two men pulling Kyo away as he struggled against them.

"What the hell? Who are you guys?" Kyo shouted in the empty hall.

"We work for Akito." One of them said.

"Wait!"

Tohru ran after them and yelled. "Where are you taking him? Who are you?"

The two men stopped about six feet away from her. The one who had spoken to Kyo looked at her as the group of friends ran up behind her.

"Are you Tohru Honda?" He asked.

Tohru nodded uncertainly. "Yes, that's me. Where are you taking Kyo-kun?"

"Akito says," The man said to Tohru as he tightened his grip on Kyo's shoulder. "It's time for the Cat's _confinement_, and for you to stay out of it unless you want your _memories erased_.

"Confinement?!" Kyo exclaimed in disbelief. "But it's not-"

"He hasn't graduated yet!!" Tohru yelled as she took a step toward the men. "You can't take him now, it's not time! He still has time!"

Everyone behind her watched in disbelief. The only ones who did not understand what was happening were Uo and Hanajima.

Kyo looked at Tohru with his mouth open slightly. _She knows? How the hell does she know? _He wanted to ask her, ask her who had told her about it, but he couldn't find his voice and nothing came out as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Let's go, Cat."

The men pulled Kyo away, switching their grips from his shoulders to his arms. This was it, he was going in to early confinement, but why? Akito had said until he graduated high school, and he was only in the winter of his second year!

"Tohru, what's going on?"

Tohru dropped to her knees as they pulled Kyo through the doors and exited the school. How, how had this happened? Just as she had told him how she felt, it all came crashing down. Tohru looked up to see the worried faces of her two clueless friends. Something suddenly burst in her, a strange fire that she had never felt.

"Tohru, wait!"

She leapt up to her feet and ran full speed down the hallway, pushing open the doors and her eyes falling on a black four door car parked at the front of the school. The back door was open and Kyo was being pushed in to the back seat.

"Kyo-kun!"

She bolted for the car, ignoring everything around her except for the orange haired guy she was in love with, being closed in to the back of the car as the door slammed shut. The two men got in the car and began to drive away.

_No, no! Come back, come back with Kyo-kun…_

She slowed to a stop at the curb, watching the car as it turned a corner down the street and vanished from her sight. She gasped for breath as the heavy footsteps of all her friends running behind her caught up with her and they questioned her at once.

"Tohru, why did they take him?" Catalyna grabbed her and made her face her. "You said it was until the end of high school!"

"You knew about this?" Momiji asked in bewilderment as he caught his breath.

"Why did they take him?" Hanajima asked as she looked around at the Sohmas and two girls.

_He's gone…they took him…forever. _

It was no use trying to hold the tears back; they poured out of her eyes as Tohru began to sob uncontrollably. The pain in her chest, it was horrible! What was she going to do without the one person who she trusted most? Her heart felt like it was breaking in two and she gasped as she tried to stop herself from looking like a weakling.

"Tohru.." Catalyna grabbed her and held her in her arms, letting her sob in to her shoulder while the Sohmas explained the confinement to Uo and Hanajima.

"Why?" Tohru choked out as Catalyna rubbed her back soothingly. "Why did they take Kyo-kun away from me?"

_Oh, god, what do we do now?! _Catalyna's brain was on overdrive as she held Tohru tighter. _There's only one person who's responsible for this…_

…_Akito. _

* * *

_Gone…_

That night at the home of Shigure, dinner had been the most uncomfortable and awkward ever. Non of the three spoke, which was saying a lot since Shigure would usually be able to talk through anything. The truth was that the entire zodiac had found out about Kyo being thrown in to confinement early. No one had the heart to say anything about it, and so all had sat in silence until the two males excused themselves awkwardly. Now, though, Tohru was standing outside of _his_ door, praying that when she opened it she would awake from some kind of dream and he would be there.

A sigh escaped her lips and she turned the knob and swung open the door. _No, of course it's not a dream. _She walked in and shut the door behind her, careful not to wake anyone else sleeping in the house as she turned on the light switch to find the room very clean. She glanced at the clock on his wall to find it was now two forty five in the morning, and she had not been able to get to sleep at all.

"Kyo…" She walked over to his night stand and sat on the bed next to it, inhaling his natural scent that was very strong in the sheets. She tenderly touched the pillow, remembering when they had fallen asleep after she told him her big secret. Carefully she grabbed his pillow and held it to her chest, finding a strange comfort as she buried her face in the fabric.

She pulled her face out of the pillow with tears sliding down her face and she placed it back where it had been previously on the neatly done bed. Without an ounce of emotion on her features she pulled open the top drawer of his night stand and rummaged through it all the way to the back and very bottom. _Ah, there it is…_

She pulled out a small photograph and looked at it, no longer shocked that he had this. It was a picture of her when she was little. It was hard to recall exactly when she had taken it, but she knew it had to be shortly before her father died since she had a genuine smile on her face and her young cheeks tinged pink in an innocent way.

Yes, she had seen this picture before, when she had gone in his room to retrieve his laundry one day and found it because a sock was hanging halfway out of this drawer. At first it worried her greatly because she could not recall ever giving it to him or even having one in her possession herself. The only person who had ever had this picture was….

…her mom.

* * *

**A/N: **Don't be angry! I'm mad at myself for taking Kyo-kun away from Tohru! But I had to for the sake of the story…so sorry. I wanted to be like "they smooched and they lived happily ever after! Yay!" But I couldn't since there is so much involved with the story.

So, please review if you get the chance and let me know what you think!


	19. Three Days

**A/N: **Sorry this one took me longer. I sort of lost my drive with this one for a while, and I'm still trying to gain it back. I just haven't been feeling very encouraged with this story, my own sister hasn't read it!! How mean it that? But it's alright, it's all good. (MEAN SISTER MEAN SISTER!!)

The chapters are getting a lot shorter, which is good because it spaces things out the right way. Sorry if this one seems rushed.

But thank you anonymous reviewer : **PhantomSaint**

Oh I forgot to disclaim the song so here: **I don't own any one republic songs, if I did that would be so awesome! **

* * *

**Chapter 19: Three Days**

A small bit of moonlight shone through the barred up window as Kyo lay quietly in his bed. He was in the Cat room and hating every second of it. He had been there for about three days and he had not had a proper shower or bath since Monday morning before school. The room was like a small bedroom that had nothing but four bare brown walls, a small bed for him with only a sheet that was in the far right corner near his window, that did not have bars when he first arrived, but then he tried to escape Akito had ordered them on. There were lights but Akito ordered him not to use them, and the sliding window was the only thing that could entertain him in the least.

"Errrr…" He groaned and got up, kicking the sheets away from him and walked over to the open window. He slipped his arms through the bars and leaned on the ledge with his elbows, not caring about anything but the outside world. He looked down at his clothing; a baggy black hooded sweater and some gray sweat pants that were stained a bit. Akito had given him these clothes the second he had arrived and had his school uniform thrown out.

But, none of this mattered, because the only thing that was driving him crazy was the fact that there were two crazy lunatics running around Japan, determined to kill Tohru and anyone who might get in the way. He was scared out of his mind; now that he was locked up he had no way of watching over everyone. Yeah, Yuki could take care of himself and so could Haru, but what about Momiji? Hiro and Rin had already been beaten up and what about Kisa? Even though he would never admit it he feared what would happen if Shigure would come across one of those people. Clearly the adult had no way of defending himself.

Then there were the other girls; Tohru, Catalyna, Uo and Hanajima. Even though Uo and Hanajima had little to do with the entire thing, if they stood up for Tohru they would definitely not stand a chance. Catalyna was already in enough danger since they are her damn family and if she made one wrong move Kyo had a hunch one blow would finish her off. But Tohru….she stood no chance in hell alone.

He shook his head as his thoughts floated to the girl. She had kissed him and even said that she loved him, and he hadn't said it back. _I'm so damn stupid…that might have been my only chance to ever tell her how I feel since now it looks like my life is over_…._damn I'm so stupid!_

He looked out at the dark houses and surroundings of the Sohma Estate. He was determined to get out no matter what, even if it meant that Akito would kill him, he just had to…do his best to protect everyone….

* * *

_This isn't right…_

The hunched over form of Catalyna was sitting on a bench outside of the high school after the bell had sounded and signaled the end of the day. About thirty minutes had passed and she did not want to go home or be around anyone. It was Thursday, three days after Kyo had been taken and she had only spoken to everyone a few times. In class she was polite to them and refrained from conversation when Tohru would try and attempt talking to her. She did not want to ignore everyone, it was just too damn painful to look them in the eye after she had watched Kyo being dragged off.

"Lyna-kun?"

_Oh, great. _The one person she had tried to avoid most now came over and sat on the bench next to her, turning his head full of blonde hair toward her. Catalyna reluctantly looked up and looked in to the sad eyes of Momiji, immediately regretting it when she felt the urge to cry. She held back her tears and choked out a response. "Hi, Momiji-kun."

Momiji rubbed her back and tried to comfort her, not quite sure what he could do to soothe her. He felt her tense up and removed his hand, assuming he had offended her in some way. He decided he would try to talk to her a bit in hopes of seeing her smile, or at least be angry. Anything other than the frown and sad look in her eyes.

"Lyna-kun, I like when you smile."

Catalyna sat up straight and sighed. "Really?" She asked, hoping he wasn't just trying to get her out of her sad-stupor. She seen him nod and felt a small blush creep over her cheeks. "Well, I like when you smile too."

Momiji gave her a quick smile, then immediately turned serious. "Will you talk to me…?"

The black haired girl shivered; he was dropping his little boy voice and using his more mature one again. _I wonder if he only uses it in private…_ For some strange reason, even though he seemed to be very…um 'in touch with his feminine side', Catalyna was very drawn to him. She turned toward him and sat up straight and then lowered her forehead to rest on his shoulder.

"Uh…Lyna-kun?" Momiji asked uncertainly.

"I feel so bad about it." Catalyna lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. "It's not fair that Tohru confessed her love to him and then he's taken away without fair warning."

"I know, it's not fair." He placed his hand on her shoulder awkwardly and the other on her cheek. "But, this is just how our family works. Akito is in charge and there's nothing we can do about it."

Catalyna furrowed her brows. "But, why does Akito have to be in charge? It's wrong to lock Kyo up like that, he's a _human being_." She stood up suddenly and Momiji pulled his hands away from her. She grabbed her back pack off of the floor and swung it over her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" He too stood up and faced her.

"I want to talk to Tohru-kun," She said in a low voice. "I haven't spoken with her very much these past few days."

Momiji nodded. "Well, she's at the hospital, talking to Rin."

Catalyna nodded and smiled weakly. "Thank you, I'll see you later."

And with that she turned around and set off for the hospital, while there the troubled brunette spoke with the stubborn Horse.

"It wasn't supposed to happen this soon."

Tohru sat on the end of Rin's hospital bed as the two spoke quietly about Kyo's confinement. During the few days that had passed since Kyo had been taken, Tohru had put on her happy face and tried to push away the pain. But, everyone knowing her the way they do, knew that this was an act and that she was definitely hurting the worst of all. And so now she sat with Rin, talking openly about it for the first time with anyone since Monday and ready to respond to Rin's words.

"I know," Tohru said as she hung her head to hide her frown. "I was told he wasn't supposed to go until after graduation…"

Rin watched the breaking girl closely, knowing all too well that the pain she felt was close to her own. When she broke up with Haru, she felt her world fall to the floor, like everything was over. _That must be what she's feeling…since she loves him and all…_

"Isuzu-san…do you think…?" Tohru trailed off and looked up and in to the fierce eyes of the Horse. "…Do you think it's possible…Akito would let him go?"

Rin shook her head, hating to have to answer truthfully. "No, I don't think so." She looked away and out of the window, watching the sidewalk below. She would usually brush off people walking by but the girl with curly black hair caught her eye; mainly because she was pacing near the entrance.

"Who's that…?" She asked aloud.

Tohru turned to the window and squinted for a moment, then tilted her head to the side. "Lyna-kun?"

"Who?"

"Catalyna…she's my friend." Tohru stood up and walked over to the window, looking down and watching as the girl seemed to be debating on whether or not she should go in.

"What is she doing _here_?" Rin asked defensively.

"Err…well," Tohru turned to Rin and smiled nervously. "She kind of knows…about the curse…and stuff."

Rin grew wide eyed at those words. "How… what do you-?"

"She's a great person!" Tohru dashed to the unsuspecting girl and kneeled at her side, speaking in a begging tone. "She's related to Angelo and Vanessa…they hurt her in the past."

Rin's eyebrow rose suspiciously and then she sighed and turned away from the pleading face of Tohru. "Look, I know this is out of no where, but you need to be careful."

The confused expression slid over Tohru's face. "I know…but…"

"Akito." Rin said firmly. "Don't go near him, he's going to try and trick you…"

Fifteen minutes later Catalyna sat on the ledge near the entrance of the hospital, still debating on going inside or not.

"This is stupid." She said to herself. _I shouldn't even be here, it's not my place._

"Lyna-kun?"

"WAH!" Catalyna leapt up quickly and wheeled around to find Tohru standing behind her and smiling. She sighed in relief. "Tohru, you scared me."

"I'm sorry." Tohru smiled apologetically. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh..I.." Catalyna drew a blank in her head. Thinking for the last …however long it took her to walk to the hospital and then debate to herself, had thrown off her trail as to why she had come.

"Did you want to meet Isuzu-san?" Tohru asked hopefully. "She's really nice!"

Catalyna shook her head immediately. "N-no, it's fine." Her mind suddenly clicked as to why she had come. _Oh that's right, the reason you've been upset the last few days. _

Tohru nodded and motioned for the sidewalk. "Did you want to come over for dinner? I'm making Shougayaki! But, no leeks because of-"

Catalyna seen her eyes grow wide as she cut herself off. She understood why immediately; she had heard Kyo yelling at school about how much he hated leeks.

"I, I guess I can use them now….since he's gone." Her eyes shrunk to their normal size and she tried to hold back tears that were threatening to surface. "Do you like them? Do you like …pork and vegetables…?"

And then the tears fell and Catalyna pulled the girl in to a comforting hug. "It's okay to cry Tohru, you don't have to be strong all the time."

She let out a sob. "I know…I just want him back!"

_Back…Come back…_

Without warning Tohru suddenly pulled away with a determined look in her eyes. Catalyna looked at her in concern. "What's wrong..?"

"I.." Tohru trailed of as she wiped her eyed furiously and straightened herself. "I have to go!"

She turned around and ran off to the sidewalk, confusing Catalyna without any reasonable explanation.

* * *

"It's not right, Akito."

The Sohma Estate was quiet, much to the shock due to the very close events. First the father of the Cat is murdered and then the Cat himself is imprisoned? Yes, the Sohmas all took their time to think things over. Akito, though, had plans to follow and things to do, being the head of the family and all. At the moment Akito was sitting out on her porch next to Kureno, who looked dead and ready to hit the pillow. Akito turned to the former Rooster with a smirk at his words.

"I don't care." She said in an icy tone. "This Angelo and Vanessa seem to think that beating two of my zodiac and sending them with the message, and I quote Hiro's words; '_They want to meet with her in one week from Today.'"_

Kureno looked away, knowing that this plan of Akito's would definitely go wrong. "You can't just hand her over to them, you can be arrested for doing that."

Akito snickered. "I am the head of the _Sohma_ family, they can't touch me. And I will have her meet with them whether she likes it or not."

_Close…so close…_

Somewhere in the bushes of the Sohma Estate the distressed brunette lurked, hiding from being thrown out for trespassing. She peeped her head out and seen Momiji's house; it looked empty.

_I'll find him myself…_

She set off, ducking behind trees and crawling on all fours as she searched for the Head of the Family. She hadn't thought about everything thoroughly, but was determined to speak with Akito as soon as possible. Rin had informed about the so called 'message' that Angelo and Vanessa had given them and was ready to meet with them. But, Rin had also informed her that Akito would try to manipulate her in to meeting with them so they would leave the zodiac alone.

_I have to do this, for everyone…_

At that moment something caught her attention; on the porch outside of a small house Akito sat with Kureno as the two spoke. She watched for a moment and waited, then Kureno got up and walked off toward some other house nearby; now was her chance.

She watched as Akito got up and went inside the house and closed the sliding door behind him.

_Okay…charge!_

And she ran full speed, straight for the door. No time to think or feel anything but the adrenaline pumping through her blood. With one strong tug, she slid open the door and gasped at what she saw.

"Akito…san?"

The robe was open and slumped down to the elbows of what Tohru had previously thought was ….a male. But no, this was definitely not a male. The bare breasts, the unmistakable hip curve and the lack of the male genitalia said it all.

"Oh, Tohru Honda…" Akito smirked as she pulled her robe up and covered her nudity. "What are you doing here, stupid girl?"

Tohru was speechless; Akito was a woman? She had never suspected this, never ever. She swallowed and registered the question and answered shakily. "I…want to talk to you.."

Akito rolled her eyes and motioned for Tohru to sit at the table in the middle of the room. The brunette did as told and Akito stood before her. "So, now you know my secret, what are you going to do with it?"

"I..uh…" Tohru swallowed again. "I won't tell anyone, only came to talk about Kyo-kun."

"Humph." Akito turned around and pulled something out of the pocket of her robe. "I'm guessing you want to know what you could do to release him, right?"

Tohru nodded slowly, an expression of fear taking over.

"Okay." Akito tossed something in to her lap. "Read it."

Tohru looked down at the crumpled up paper. She shakily picked it up and pulled it out of the mess it was in, smoothing it out to make it easier to read. She scanned it and then began at the top of the page:

_Kyo,_

_Don't get the wrong idea from this letter; I still hate you. I'm only writing this because my time is near and to leave you believing everything was your fault is wrong, when it so obviously was not. Your mother did love you, but she couldn't handle everything. The whole suicide thing is half-true and here is why:_

_A long time ago I met some really horrible people who are from another country. Let's just say they like to make business deals and they try to 'keep it in the family'. I screwed them over big time, and they wanted revenge. The only thing they knew was that I had a wife who I loved very much. Naturally they would go after her, and they did. She wanted to kill herself and from what I was told she was going to do it, but they showed up and did the job for her. _

_Now, they're here again and they're after that girl Tohru Honda. I told them all about the curse and her, so they know where to find you. They don't care to go after you; only if you get in their way. Believe me when I say this; that girl doesn't stand a chance._

_In all reality it could never truly be entirely your fault; I was the one who screwed them over. The only reason they never went after you is because they didn't know about you. I will not say sorry; it's too late for that crap. I only write this letter because I can't die knowing that I blamed you for your entire pathetic existence for the death of your mother. I'll be out of this world forever in some short minutes here, and I have no regrets. Not one. _

_- I won't sign 'your father' because I never wanted it that way_

Tohru looked over the letter; so this was from Kyo's father? _How could he hate him so much?_

"So you see," Akito said as she sat down across from the young girl. "He was the one spilling our secrets, and now Kyo has to be punished. He is the man's son, and I will not risk having someone of that blood run around with our secrets."

"But, Kyo-kun would never tell anyone about the secrets!" Tohru felt her heart begin to pound against her ribcage. "Please, Akito-san, you have to-"

"They want to meet with you, will you go?" Akito cut her off, trying to control her temper long enough to make her say yes.

Tohru nodded quickly. "Yes, I was told and I will go! I have to go I don't want them hurting my friends anymore…not because of me."

Akito smirked, relieved that it had not taken much for her to say yes. "I will go with you, to make sure you are there and ready to heed to their every wish."

"Yes, Akito-san."

* * *

"Come on…it's almost time for it…"

The night had come quickly and now the Cat room was plunged in to darkness; the only light shiny through was from the open window. Kyo sat on his bed, waiting patiently and running a plot through his head.

_Through the bars, through the bars…run…_

_CLICK._

The lock on his door being released caught his attention and he lay down innocently. Well, as innocent as he could possibly stand. The woman who had been assigned to take care of his food stepped in and set a tray of down on a small table some four feet away from the bed. She looked at him and seen he made no movement to start eating, and so turned around to leave the room.

As quickly and as quietly as he could he leapt off his bed and ran up behind the woman. He grabbed her shoulder with one hand and then with the other pinched a spot somewhere between her neck and shoulder.

She froze immediately and fell backwards; he caught her at arms length, keeping himself from transforming. He dragged her to his bed and sat her limp for down, studying her face to make sure she was unconscious. Sure enough her eyes were closed and her mouth was open slightly.

_I can't believe that worked…_

He looked around and listened, making sure no one thought to come and check on her. A few moments passed by and no sound came from the other side of the door, and so he immediately put the rest of his plan in to action.

He looked at her awkwardly and then laid her backward until she was a few inches above the mattress. He took a deep breath and quickly hugged her.

_POOF!_

The orange cat leapt off of her chest as she hit the mattress with a soft thud. He quickly gathered his juzu beads in his mouth and ran across the room.

_Don't get caught, don't get caught!_

With one leap he landed on the window sill and slipped through the bars, not seen or heard by anyone and with only one goal in mind…

…_.I have to help everyone…whatever it is that I can do…._

* * *

**A/N: **Again sorry if it seems rushed. My spoiler was going to be the whole thing about Kyo's mom's death and I just couldn't do it because 1. I'm not entirely sure if it's out or what volume that chapter is in so I would be spoiling nothing if it was and 2. I don't remember that chapter itself. It might have been one of the one's that was missing out of the online manga. I'll try to have another up soon okay so hang in there with me!!

Review if you get the chance!


	20. Dangerous

**A/N: **So I have not updated for a while, the reason being I'm disappointed with the response of this story. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy people like it, but I see how many people have it on alert so yeah. Oh well, here's the next chap anyway. Trot, Destiny.

* * *

**Chapter 20: Dangerous**

"Wow…it's so grand."

On this late Thursday night, Catalyna stood outside of the Sohma Estate, gawking and taking in the magnificence of the property. Voices sounded on the other side and lights shone over the barrier, signaling that some people were still awake at this late hour.

_I wonder what time it is…_ She took her cell phone out of her black hooded sweater pocket and flipped it open to see the time. "Ten seventeen…it's late." Closing her phone and stuffing it back in her pocket she started down the sidewalk, watching the wall and waiting for any sort of sign of life. _Why am I even here? Taking a walk did not include walking over here…_

Yes that was all she was going to do, take a late night walk to calm her throbbing brain. The throb itself had been inflicted by her mother, who earlier in the night gave her a headache about 'hurrying up her job and getting close to the Sohmas' and something else about 'Angelo and Vanessa need to rot in a prison cell'. Catalyna could not recall word-for-word, she was only half-listening. In her daze, she had found her feet carrying her in an unfamiliar direction and the next thing she knew she was standing outside of the Sohma Estate.

_I wonder if Momiji is asleep by now…_ She shook her head as a blush consumed her face. _No! Don't think about Momiji right now, it's stupid…_

And on the other side of the fence, a Cat was scratching at a window…

_Screech, screech, scritch scratch screech…_

"Dammit, Haru wake up!" The small orange fur ball whispered frantically as he watched the Ox through the window turn over in his bed. _Who the hell is really asleep by this hour?_ He looked the window over as he walked across the sill and discovered he could open it himself.

_Yes! Thank goodness for claws! _He took his nails and carefully slid the window to the side, opening it only enough for him to fit through. Once in he jumped and landed on the floor and dashed to the bedside.

"Haru!" He whispered frantically. "Wake up! Haru!" He groaned in frustration when his only response was a grunt and another turn over from the white haired teen. The ball of orange leapt up on the bed and shook the Ox by his shoulder, not having the strength he would if he were human.

"Nnnn….Rin, no don't…go…"

Kyo froze as the Ox rolled over on to his back, mumbling about the Horse in his sleep. He leapt on his chest and did his best to slap the boy with his paws.

"Dammit, Haru, wake up!" As soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes widened and he stood still for a moment. A sudden cloud of smoke erupted around the Cat just as Haru opened his eyes.

"What the-?"

"Crap!"

Haru felt the sudden weight of a human on him and waved his hand to clear the smoke. "What's going on…?"

The cloud cleared to reveal a naked Kyo scurrying off the boy and ducking behind the end of the bed. "Haru! I need clothes!"

Haru sat up quickly, the blankets falling off to reveal a white t-shirt for his pajama top. The Ox blinked a few times and then spoke weakly through his tired state. "Kyo…why…aren't you in…the…"

"No, shh!" Kyo put his finger to his lips and Haru stopped speaking immediately. "I transformed in to a Cat and got out, now I need clothes so I can get out of here."

Haru got out of bed quickly and went over to his closet. "Where are you gonna go?" He whispered as he pulled out a plain white t-shirt and some worn out jeans.

Kyo shrugged, still ducking behind the bed and staying out of sight of the window. "I don't know. I'll figure it out."

Haru walked over and handed Kyo the clothing. "I'd let you stay here but it's too close, and dangerous." Haru sat on the bed and waited patiently as his cousin pulled on the clothes.

"Damn, they're kind of long." Kyo pulled on his juzu beads last and tried to roll up the inch or so of length at the bottom of the pants. "You're a little taller than I am, but we're about the same size so it doesn't matter." He stood up and tried to get used to the jeans. "Thanks."

Haru nodded. "No problem, just don't get caught."

Kyo suddenly stepped over to Haru and knelt in front of him. "Listen," He looked him in the eye and continued in a serious whisper. "If anyone asks about my escape, or asks if you know anything, just deny it."

"Kyo escaped?" Haru asked, playing the part of having no clue. "How...?"

Kyo nodded and smirked. "That's good, pretend to be surprised." He got up and walked over to the window. "I'll try to keep in contact, wherever I go." He slid the window open and turned around with one last nod at the Ox. "Thanks, I owe you."

Haru waited until Kyo was safely out of the window and in the shadows of the houses, and then he got up and closed the window. "Don't let your temper get in the way of this…"

Kyo tiptoed along the walls and shadows of the houses, ducking and stopping every few minutes in case anyone was lurking around. He looked toward the nearest wall and seen it… _The secret entrance! _He took a deep breath, silently hoped to not be caught, and then quickly and quietly as possible ran to the hole and crawled through with ease.

_What was that?! _

Outside of the wall, Catalyna stopped and listened. She had heard the rustle of quick footsteps nearby and knew it was a person. _Who would be out at this time…oh, right, me. _A silhouette heading in to the park next to the Estate caught her attention and she set off after it.

"Okay, this is dumb." She whispered to herself as she entered the park and looked around, all lights out and in complete darkness. "Following someone this late at night is dangerous, but what if it's someone who needs help…?"

She stopped near a tree and peered through the inky darkness, trying to find a trace of the person. The quiet was unnerving and she suddenly realized the position she was in. _Okay…I've been in worse situations before so this is nothing…right? _

_Rustle, rustle.._

Catalyna backed up and pressed herself against the tree, praying that the sound was a stray Cat or small animal. _I am so stupid… what if it's someone dangerous…or Angelo or Vanessa or…something._

Her eyes adjusted to the blackness and she slowly stepped away from the trunk, but only got a few steps until…

"AH!"

"SHHH!!"

A hand grabbed her arm and another covered her mouth from behind, silencing her short scream and keeping her in place a few inches away from body contact. She heard the male shushing sound and closed her eyes as she began to shake. _Oh, no, this is what I get for being out so late…please don't hurt me…_

"Hey, it's me, don't be scared."

Catalyna opened her eyes at once, recognizing the voice of Kyo and tried to turn her head to look at him. He shushed her again and she stayed still, wondering what in the hell was going on.

"I'm gonna let you go, but stay quiet and follow me." He whispered and she nodded frantically. "Okay…"

He took his hand away from her mouth and led her behind some bushes by her arm. Following silently, she was yearning to ask tons of questions. He sat on the grass and pulled her down next to him, startling her and earning a surprised squeak and frantically beginning to shush her again.

"I said be quiet! No squeaking!" He whispered.

"Sorry! You startled me." She whispered back.

Nodding he pressed his finger to his lips and pointed in the direction of the Sohma Estate with his other hand. Catalyna nodded in comprehension and they both listened for any sounds coming from behind the inside.

A few minutes of tense and smothering silence slipped by, and then Kyo finally turned to her and scooted closer so they could hear one another better.

"What are you doing out here this late?" He asked in a disbelieving tone. "You shouldn't be anywhere near here in the first place and-"

"What are you even doing _out_?" Catalyna cut him off and returned the look of disbelief. "I thought you were confined! What did you do, escape or something?"

He nodded and spoke urgently. "Yes, I have to get out of here now. They'll figure it out and search for me. I have to go away for a while."

"But why-?"

"I don't know where else to go except _away_. The first place they'll look is Shishou's house and then Shigure's and then probably Kagura's." He looked around to make sure all was still clear.

"Who's Kagura?" Catalyna asked, never hearing about this person before.

"She's the Boar and she wants to marry me, she would hide me but," He stopped and turned back to her. "She would be in danger because Akito would check her house too."

"So, you need somewhere to hide where Akito can't find you?" She asked. A nod from Kyo signaled her to continue. "Then stay with me."

"What?"

"Stay at my house." Catalyna said with a look of deep thought. "Akito doesn't know anything about me, so who would suspect you would be there?"

Kyo shook his head quickly. "No, its dangerous there's no way I'm doing that to you."

"Yes, it's the only place you can stay near enough and keep hidden." She held his gaze and tried to convince him further. "My mom will never know you can stay in my room and just keep quiet and I'll keep you well hidden. Who could find out? The only one close enough is Uotani and she never comes over, I go to her apartment so come on you rea-"

"Alright!" He cut her off firmly and she stopped right away. "Just take me there as a Cat that way you look like you're holding your pet or something." He stood up and looked around as she too stood. "Are you ready?" He asked as she looked around too.

"Yeah, but what do I do wi-?"

He stepped forward and cut her off by quickly giving her a hug.

_Poof!_

"..Err what do I do with your clothes?" She asked as the smoke cleared and Kyo lay uncomfortably in her arms. She bent down and picked them up, and then bundled them up and tucked them under her arm. "I'll just hold on to them…we can figure this out later."

* * *

"HE ESCAPED?!"

The next morning in the home of Shigure, news of Kyo's escape (disappearance, says Akito) had just been told to Tohru as she served breakfast for the two males. She sat down at her place, staring open mouthed at Shigure, who had told her and waited for him to continue his explanation.

Shigure took a drink of his tea and sighed. "It appears that he hugged his server, who is female, and slipped through the window as a cat."

"That is rather smart." Yuki commented to himself, unheard by the other two.

"B-but what does this mean?!" Tohru demanded as she leaned across the table toward the Writer. "Shigure-san," She said desperately. "What will happen when they find Kyo-kun?"

Though he was almost certain Akito would punish him severely, Shigure had not the heart to tell Tohru this. Instead, he smiled and tried to protect her innocence. "Tohru, I'm sure they won't catch him." A doubtful expression encouraged him to add an after thought. "Besides, you know how cats are; they are always quiet, sneaky and have nine lives."

Yuki snorted unintentionally. When Tohru looked at him with a sad expression, he tried to apologize. "Honda-san, I'm sorry, that was rude of me."

"No, Yuki-kun, it's okay." She gave him a feeble smile and took a deep breath. "I wish Kyo-kun the best, and I hope he doesn't get caught. Maybe one day he'll be free to come back home."

* * *

"Shut your mouth!"

Across town in the dimly lit room of Catalyna, a small disagreement was taking place between the girl and the orange haired boy. Kyo sat on the end of her bed, complaining and trying to convince her that he should just leave. Catalyna on the other hand, kept telling him to hush up and let her do her 'morning thing'. Quickly running a brush through her tangled curls, Catalyna handed him a water bottle and a cup of tea she had sitting on her homework desk.

Kyo glared at her as he took the beverages reluctantly. "Don't tell me to shut my mouth!" He hissed in a whisper. "What am I supposed to do while you're at school? Just sit around her like an idiot?"

Catalyna turned around from her mirror above her dresser and frowned. "No, I already told you." She stepped over to a small entertainment center, consisting of a television, play station 2 and many video games and pointed at the objects. "Just play these quietly or watch a movie or something. You can even read I have tons of books." She pointed over his head, he turned to find a tall bookshelf with hundreds of different kinds of hard cover, paperback, and leather bound books.

"Whatever." Kyo folded his arms across his chest, wearing the clothes he had borrowed from Haru and feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Stop being a sour puss." Catalyna said as she grabbed her book bag and a small black backpack. "Look, I'm swinging by the house with Tohru today and I'll grab you some stuff. Don't forget there's lunch in the fridge." She walked over to her door and stopped with her hand on the knob. Giving him a stern look, she added, "Try not to be too loud or messy, I don't need my mom coming in here and finding you."

Kyo frowned as she left the room. _Whatever, I'll just play that stupid game thing._

"So what did you do last night?"

About fifteen minutes later Catalyna was almost at the school and in the company of Uo. Her mind kept raging in the fear of Akito discovering Kyo in her home, or worse, her mother. What would she do? It would be all too obvious that she took him in to hide him. Uo's question managed to push her thoughts away a she tried to answer in a natural manner.

"Um," She decided on a normal teenage activity. "I watched TV and did homework."

"What do you watch?"

"Um…" The first name that came to her mind. "Desperate Housewives."

"Oh, wow." Uo said in surprise. "That show is kind of…goofy."

They reached the school in silence a few minutes later and were immediately greeted in the hallway by a happy Tohru.

"Uo-chan, Lyna-kun, you'll never guess what happened!" She bounced on the balls of her feet with a large smile. "Kyo-kun escaped last night!"

"Escaped?!" Uo exclaimed in shock. "That's a good thing, right?"

"Well, it shouldn't be," Tohru said, fiddling with her fingers. "But it is because now he isn't in the Cat room anymore!"

_Don't act suspicious…_ Catalyna kept her eyes wide and a look of disbelief on her face. When Tohru turned to her, she stuck to her guns. "But where could he have gone?" She asked urgently.

"I don't know." Tohru lowered her eyes to the floor and whispered. "Wherever he's gone, I just hope he's safe and in good health."

Guilt swept over the black haired girl but she kept her cover. It hurt her to know the boy Tohru was longing for was sitting in her bedroom, trying to keep himself occupied, and yet there was nothing to be done.

_RIINNNGGG!_

"Crap, let's go." Uo gave the two girls sleeves a light tug and walked off in the direction of the classroom. The two exchanged an awkward glance and then set off after Uo.

"But where could he have gone?"

A floor above the anxious and curious rabbit spoke lightly on the subject of Kyo's disappearance with Haru. Momiji was glad he had escaped, but worried for his safety, and had just gotten through telling the Ox this.

"Wouldn't it make sense to assume he fled the city?" Haru suggested as the two took their desks in their classroom. "Or maybe even fled the country."

"In one night?" Momiji pointed out the flaw in this assumption. "I think he's hiding somewhere."

"He probably had help." Haru added. _No one would suspect that I would have anything to do with this, so it's safe to say I'm good for now._

* * *

"Thank you so much for letting me stop by."

Catalyna waved good-bye to Tohru and Yuki as she walked away from their porch. As promised, she had stopped by and somehow managed to sneak some of Kyo's clothes in to her book bag and little black backpack. She had asked Yuki for some homework help as a cover, and then excused herself to the restroom.

_I hope he ate his lunch. _She walked through the woodsy area, feeling lonely and wishing she had accepted Yuki's offer of walking her home. For her school had been very tiring. Not only because she knew what was waiting at home (Kyo), but also because she knew that her neck was on the line here.

_That is selfish to think that way… _Reasoning with herself this way had no positive effect. Pushing away the thoughts she looked around, expecting to see some kind of birds around and disappointed to find none.

"That's weird, there are so many trees." She said to herself. A sudden chill caused her to stop and listen. A thick silence filled her ears; no animals, no wind and no other sounds of nature. Turning her head to look behind her, she found nothing suspicious.

"Oh my god…" She shook her head at the ridiculous fear that had crept up on her. _Everything's fine, I'm just being paranoid. _With that thought she turned around and ran smack in to a hard, black object.

"Hello, Catalyna."

She gasped and jumped backward, putting several feet between her and the person. Staring straight in to the cold green eyes of Angelo, she fixed her own in to a glare and tried to calm her pounding heart.

Angelo let out an amused chuckle, and brought a hand to his chin. "Aren't you going to ask your father how he's-?"

"You're _not_ my father." Catalyna cut him off icily. She took in his appearance; everything was the same from the black suit to his spit-shiners, except his skin. The man was growing quite pale.

"Biologically, yes I am." He took a step toward her and smirked. "But as far as a father figure, no not I. That foolish cousin of mine _Jesse _was your father now, wasn't he?" His cold eyes swept over her and he took another step with another chuckle. "My, my, Catalyna, you look terrified of me."

She swallowed dryly and tried to keep her fear in check; he probably had a firearm in his jacket or strapped around his leg. She gave him a weak smile and said in a confident voice. "No, I do not find you terrifying at all."

"Now _that's_ a lie." His voice rose and he directed an expression of absolute hatred toward her. "You are very scared of me, and you know it. I shot and killed your father, foolish girl."

Now she was shaking. _I have to get away, but I know Vanessa is probably hiding somewhere, ready to grab me if something like that were to happen. _Dropping her act of confidence Catalyna tried to remember how to defend her self.

"You really annoy me, you know."

The female voice behind her caused her to turn and find, just as she thought, Vanessa stepping out from behind a tree.

"You are so _pathetic_." Vanessa spat as she folded her arms, a knife glinting in her grasp. "It's very cute how you think you can stop us, but you have no idea how we work."

"Right you are, Vanessa."

Catalyna turned back and found herself face-to-face with Angelo. She took a surprised step back and felt a pair of hands grasp her shoulders from behind.

Vanessa lowered her mouth toward Catalyna's ear and whispered "What was that you said, about not finding us 'terrifying at all'." She laughed lightly and smirked at Angelo. "What do you have to say now?"

_They're gonna kill me! I'm gonna die and never be heard from again! _Despite the fact she was pinned between the two evils of the world, she mustered her courage and took action.

"AHH!" Quick as a flash her knee made contact with Angelo's loins. She threw her head back, heard the yelp of pain coming from Vanessa and tore away from her grasp.

"Don't let her go!" Angelo was trying to get to his feet. "Vanessa, grab her!"

With one last look at the two, Catalyna turned and ran at top speed away from there. Within a minute, she had made it clear out of the area and was pounding down the pavement in the direction of her apartment.

About ten minutes later Catalyna dashed through the door to find the apartment quiet and empty of her mother. _Good, she's not back yet._ She dashed through the living room, in to the hall way and straight to the bathroom without taking in anything around her.

"Hey, where have you been?"

Kyo walked out of Catalyna's bedroom, having peaked at the noise of her entrance and being relieved to find it was only her. Looking toward the bathroom, he seen the door was open, and beyond the frame, Catalyna stood gripping the sink with both hands and breathing heavily with her head down. Immediately worry rose in Kyo's chest and he quickly made his way over to her. "What's wrong?" He demanded.

"Angelo…_huff…_and Vanessa." She let go of the seat and swung her backpack off her shoulder. "Here." She shoved it in his arms and collected herself as she went past him and in to her room.

"Why are you giving me this?" Kyo asked as he followed her in confusion. "What happened with hose two? Did they hurt you or something?"

"No." She answered from her bed where she sat. Raising her gaze, she looked him in the eye and sighed. "They would have but I got away." She lowered her eyes to the backpack in his arms. "There are clothes in there. I said I'd bring you some."

Comprehension dawned on him but he remained worried. He opened the zipper and pulled out a pair of cargo pants, smiling in relief to see his own clothing. "Thanks." He mumbled and set the backpack on the bed and started pulling more clothes out.

The pounding of her heart in her ears had stopped and so Catalyna got up and made her way to the door. "Look, I don't feel like cooking. I'll heat us up some ramen and that can be dinner, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." He watched her walk out of the room. It was obvious she preferred not to talk about wherever and however she had run in to Angelo and Vanessa, and Kyo was not about to rudely demand an explanation. Grabbing some clothes he left the room, hollered at her that he was going to change, and then went in to the bathroom to do so.

* * *

"Yeah, I'm going out the back."

Hours later Uo got off work and walked out in to the darkness. Shivering she hugged her sweater around her stood for a moment.

_Damn, it's not even that late at it's so dark. This sucks. _The blonde frowned at the black skirt she was forced to wear for work and set off around the building. "I better get home and do that damn homework."

Walking around the building meant walking through an alleyway, a very stupid thing to do in the dark. However, Uo was an ex-gang member after all, and knew all the tricks of assaulting someone in a closed space such as an alleyway.

Without an ounce of fear, she made it to the sidewalk and started down the street. Thoughts of Kureno's warning the weekend before crossed her mind as she walked mindlessly in the direction of home. _If this Akito wants to hurt Tohru, then he's gonna have to go through me and anyone else willing to stand up. I can't believe this guy would actually lock up a human, Orangey doesn't deserve that! _

Turning a corner Uo tried to keep her temper under control. Looking around she was surprised to see that only a few of the street lamps were on and most of the buildings seemed dark and empty, not very normal for a Friday night. Regardless, though, she walked along the sidewalk and through the area the first street lamp lit. A few more steps lead her in to darkness, and then the next lamp was on. A pattern of every other lamp being off continued until she reached the middle of the block, and found two street lamps off in a row.

_I have to admit this is pretty weird, but whatever it's probably just a power glitch. _With that thought she continued on and stepped in to the darkness.

Immediately she knew she was not alone and so stopped to listen for any signs of movement. No sound came and the seconds slipped by, turning in to minutes. She glanced behind her and started walking again, positive she was being paranoid.

"AHHHH!!"

Darkness.

* * *

**A/N: **Well I hope you guys liked this one, it was a little on the exciting than this story has been lately. I don't know when I'll update next, but hopefully it will be soon. Fall term starts next week so I don't know how much time I'll have. Maybe it will be in a few days, or even a few weeks, who knows? Well, I should know but I don't. Later, thanks for reading luv ya lots!


	21. Issues That Need Tissues

A/N: Hello everyone, I know it's been like a year since I updated…. Please don't hate me if you still care to follow this. I'm redoing this chapter because I don't like the first person POV I used. And some of it I didn't really care for, like the three week gap and all the complicatedness lol. So this is completely different. Anyway, here it is, official chapter 21.

**Chapter 21: Issue's That Need Tissues**

"The last time I seen her was yesterday at school."

Catalyna stood awkwardly outside of her apartment as she answered questions for the police. Uo's father had reported her missing that morning.

"Thank you Miss, if you find out anything let us know."

Catalyna nodded as the two officers left. A gut feeling was telling her Vanessa and Angelo had something to do with it. Sense said that it might have been Akito since Uo and Hanajima found out about the curse. With a deep sigh she turned and headed inside to find Kyo anxiously waiting on the couch. He stood up when she closed the door.

"What did you tell them?" He demanded.

"The truth, that I saw her yesterday at school." She made her way toward her bedroom, Kyo following close behind.

"What about Angelo and Vanessa?"

"What about them?" She plopped down on her bed, ready to sleep for days if she could.

"You think they did something to her?" He sat down on the floor cross legged and waited for her to answer.

"I don't know." She propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at him. "It could be them, but it could also be Akito."

Kyo nodded in agreement. "How do we find out?"

"There's not much you can do." She sat up and swung her legs off the bed. "You have to stay here and hide."

"I don't wanna hide anymore." He mumbled to himself, blowing a strand of orange hair out of his eyes.

Catalyna got up and grabbed her purse. "I'm gonna go and talk to someone, I'll be back in a while. My mom shouldn't be back until sixish but don't bank on it."

Before he could ask who she was going to see she had left the room and the front door slammed shut.

Some thirty minutes later Momiji paced slowly in front of a bench in the park next to the Sohma Estate. He shoved his hands in his pockets and sat down. A shiver ran through his body so he put his hood up, the black sweater contrasting with his bright blonde locks. He kept his eyes on the ground in front of him and didn't realize someone had approached him.

"Hello Momiji-kun."

Momiji looked up and smiled as Catalyna sat down next to him, her expression blank. He shifted himself to face her and looked at her expectantly.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I just don't know who to talk to." She met his gaze, her brown eyes shining. "I feel like I can talk to you."

"Of course you can Lyna-kun," Momiji pat her arm in a comforting manner. "Is this about Uotani?"

She nodded. "I think Angelo and Vanessa had something to do with it, but I don't know how to get proof." She shifted to face him better. "I don't even know if they're staying in a motel or if they have a better hiding place."

"Why don't we start with motels?" Momiji studied her expression, looking for any trace of doubt. "They're not too hard to miss, I'm sure we'd spot them coming out or driving up or something."

"And what about Akito?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"What about him?"

"I think he could of possibly done something."

Momiji shook his head. "No, if he had done anything it would be at the Estate and there's been nothing odd going on since Kyo escaped."

Catalyna tensed up a bit. Kyo was another problem she had to deal with. She figured if she could tell someone maybe she'd feel less guilty around Tohru. However, she knew telling anyone would only put them in as much danger, so she kept her mouth shut about him.

"Lyna-kun, I'll help you in anyway you need." Momiji scooted closer to her and linked his hand with hers. "I want you to be safe from those two."

Her stomach fluttered and she nodded. "Let's start looking."

**

* * *

**

"You can't keep me down here, you psychos!"

Bright green eyes watched the chain bound girl in amusement. Her blonde hair was wet and her black skirt was torn. She struggled endlessly against the metal around her wrists.

"Angelo, would you please shut her up, she's giving me a headache." Vanessa sat at a table in the dark basement with one leg crossed over the other. There was one light above the chair occupied with Uo, and the rest of the room was in darkness.

Angelo crossed the empty room and slapped Uo across the face. She didn't yell or let out any sound of pain, and he felt disappointed. "We'll keep you down here as long as we like."

Uo looked up at him, one eye covered by her hair and the other narrowed slightly. "You're wasting your time."

"No, I think you'll give in and call her here." Angelo kneeled beside the chair and placed his hand on her thigh. "Cause if you don't, then we will kill you. You don't want that, do you?"

"Screw you!" She yelled. "You won't touch Tohru!"

"Like hell we won't!" Vanessa stood and walked over, rage in her eyes. "You will bring her here or we will kill every single one of your friends. If you think we're kidding, then perhaps you didn't have enough conversations with that little snot Catalyna. You don't know what we've done."

Uo stayed silent. _What the hell am I gonna do? They're gonna kill me cause I'm not calling Tohru here. _

Angelo stood up and grabbed Vanessa's arm. He turned to Uo. "You have three days to decide, starting now."

The two walked off and made their way up a stair case. Uo watched as they exited the door, hit a switch and disappeared as they closed it. She was plunged in to darkness.

Upstairs Vanessa and Angelo stood by the door in the abandoned house. They looked at one another, frustration clear in the lines on their dark faces. Vanessa exhaled audibly and turned and walked down a hall. Angelo followed her.

"Vanessa, she's not gonna do it."

"I know." She replied shortly. They reached the front door and stepped outside. The house was in the middle of no where, and their black limo was parked right in the grass.

They both got in and the limo pulled away. "What are we gonna do?" Angelo looked at her expectantly. "We'll have to kill her."

"Taking her was useless." She took her cell phone out of her jacket and flipped it open. "We should just go to the house and kill her, and anyone who gets in the way."

"What about Catalyna?"

"What about her?" Vanessa turned to face him.

"We should kill her too." He raised his brow. "She's always been in the way. And her mother."

She considered this for a moment and then nodded. "I suppose you're right, let's kill two birds with one stone."

* * *

Yuki stood alone in the kitchen facing an empty sink. He had already washed the dishes and cleaned the counters and the floor, but he still wasn't satisfied with the results. He turned and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms across his chest and sighing. _What is wrong with me?_

He knew what was wrong, of course. He was worried about Uo, and Kyo, though he hated to admit he worried about the cat at all, even to himself. Mostly, though, he was worried about Tohru.

The poor girl had been in her room for a while, probably crying her eyes out for all he knew, but he couldn't work up the courage to go and check on her. If only Kyo were around then he would do it…

_What do I do?_

"Yuki-kun?"

Yuki was rudely snapped out of his thoughts as Shigure came in to the kitchen, tea cup in hand and his disgusting robe slightly open at the top. With a curt nod, Yuki acknowledged him and then turned around to face the empty sink again.

"Yuki, where is our flower? I haven't seen her all afternoon." Shigure made his way over to the fridge, he opened it and leered at the food inside. "I'm hungry."

Uncertain of his ability to control his temper with the dog, Yuki gripped the counter and only shrugged, hoping it would suffice as a reply. He knew in his heart that if Akito had something to do with Uo's disappearance, Shigure would surely know.

"Yun-Yun?" Shigure walked over and stood behind Yuki. "Are you not speaking to me?"

With a shaky voice, Yuki spoke. "Where's Uotani?"

"If I knew that, then she wouldn't be missing, now would she?"

The smart reply was enough to tick him off. He turned and kept his composure. "It was either Akito or those people, I know it."

"You think it was Akito?"

"If it was, you would know."

"Well it wasn't Akito, it had to be that infuriating pair."

With a look of deep disgust, Yuki took a last look at the dog and then shoved past him, heading for the stairs.

"Yuki, I promise you it wasn't Akito."

Yuki stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and without turning around replied. "What good are your promises?" Without waiting for an answer, he headed up the stairs and knocked on Tohru's door.

The door opened a bit, revealing a puffy eyed Tohru. "Oh, Yuki-kun," She greeted him with a sniff. "Did you need something?"

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Yuki spoke nervously. "Are you okay, Honda-san?"

Tohru smiled weakly. "Yes, Yuki-kun, I'm fine."

It hurt to see how much effort she had to put in to that smile. He couldn't take it. He lightly pushed the door open and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her with such comfort even for that one moment.

Tohru smiled down at him in her palms, the gray rat curled up and hugging her index finger. "Yuki-kun?"

"I apologize Honda-san, for being so upfront, I just thought you could use a hug." He looked up at her and made a face close to a smile.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. With her throat tight, all she could say was "Thank you, I did need that."

**

* * *

**

One look at her phone told Catalyna that it had been close to three hours that they had waited outside of a secluded motel. It was the third one of the day. Momiji and she were in a small woodsy area next to the very small motel, hiding behind some bushes and shifting around every half hour or so. For the most part they watched, then talked a little bit.

"Did you want to try a different place?" Momiji asked suddenly, his black hood over his blonde locks making his hair seem even brighter.

Catalyna shook her head. "No. We've already been here a while, we might as well stay a little longer." She shivered and tried to hug herself for warmth. _You would think I'd remember a damn jacket or coat or something, instead of this flimsy sweater. _She pulled her white hood up over her black hair, and smiled at the opposite contrast for the both of them. She imagined her curls looked pitch black against the white.

"Geeze, you're shivering." Momiji said. They both sat cross legged next to one another, their knees touching. Momiji began to pull off his sweater. "Here, you need this."

"No! You'll be cold then." Catalyna stopped him with a nervous smile. "I'm fine with this." She suppressed another shiver.

"Yeah right." Momiji looked at her for a moment, then he scooted closer to her. "Come here." He commanded.

She was about to refuse when his arm went around her shoulder and pulled her to him. Red filled her cheeks and she leaned her head on his shoulder awkwardly. She was definitely warmer. "Um, Momiji…"

"Now we'll both be warmer." He said innocently.

She didn't dare look up at him, afraid of his reaction to her strong blush. All she could do was mumble a reply. "Yeah, warm."

A few awkward moments slipped by and they both stared at the front of the motel. Catalyna shifted her legs to her side so she could lean against him more comfortably. He shifted slightly and somehow they were closer.

"Are you okay?" Momiji asked in a low voice, looking down at her.

Catalyna nodded and looked up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay?" She looked right in to his eyes.

"I'm good." He replied, his voice close to a whisper.

She glanced between his eyes and mouth, wondering if she should lean up and take a chance. Before she could get the chance to decide, Momiji decided for her and leaned down, and gently pressed his lips against hers.

It was like a shock that lit her body on fire. She was wide eyed at first, but then let her lids slide shut and returned the light pressure. He placed his hand on her cheek and parted her lips with his, deepening the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his middle and let herself feel the shivers that ran through her nerves, no longer from the cold.

Momiji pulled away first for air and looked in her eyes for a moment. He kissed her lightly on the cheek and smiled. "You know, it's really cold and this is getting no where. We should try another motel."

Catalyna looked at him confused for a moment, and then asked. "Getting no where…?"

"_This _is getting somewhere," He amended his mistake quickly. "But I don't think they're here. I'll call my driver, it'll be warm in the car."

She smiled and blushed, then pressed a light kiss to his lips. "Come on, let's stretch our legs."

Momiji stood first and pulled her to her feet. Catalyna found his fingers blindly and laced them with her own. They were about to walk out from behind the bushes when a black car pulled in to the place, the tinted windows a dead give away.

"That's them, isn't it?" Momiji was the first to notice. He dropped to his knees and pulled her with him. They both watched and waited as the car parked.

Vanessa got out, her black heels clacking against the cement. Catalyna sighed audibly. "Yes, that's them. What do we do?"

Momiji thought hard for a moment. He turned to Catalyna, his expression serious. "We'll follow them."

* * *

A/N: So that's 21, hope you guys liked it a little bit. I know not much happend but reviews are always appreciated, and hopefully you'll let me know if ya'll want to see it finished officially.


	22. Most Thrilling Kill

**A/N: Hey guys so I'm almost done with this story. It might be 1 more chapter after this, maybe two if I need that. I'm ready to finish this one, cause I want to start another one. If anyone is a fan of The Mortal Instruments series, I'm starting a story for that one soon. Anyways, here's chapter 22. **

**Chapter 22: Most Thrilling Kill**

"Tohru-kun, Yuki, I'm leaving!"

Shigure stood at the bottom of the stair case waiting for a reply. Tohru appeared at the top, red eyed and sniffing. She smiled weakly and nodded. "Okay, Shigure-San, have fun."

"Oh I won't be having much fun, I'm heading to the Estate." He dropped his eyes to the floor.

Tohru cringed slightly. "Is it about Kyo-kun?"

Shigure nodded. "I'm afraid so. They want to send people out to look for him." Without anything else to say, he turned and headed out of the front door.

She stood at the top of the stairs, staring at the spot where Shigure had just been. Her mind was racing. _If they want to look for him, does that mean they have an idea on where he is? If they do, maybe I should find out. Maybe Momiji-Kun would know!_

She ran down the stairs and grabbed the telephone, punching the digits to Momji's cell phone. It rang six times before the voicemail answered. _Oh no, I'll just leave a message. _

"Momiji-Kun, this is Tohru, if it wouldn't be too much trouble could you please return my call? It's important, I'd like to speak to you."

She hung up the phone, wishing for another way to contact him. _Cell phones are meant to be quick…maybe Hatsuharu-San has one…. Yuki-Kun would know. _

Tohru walked quickly back upstairs and knocked on Yuki's door timidly. He opened it and smiled at her. "Yes Honda-San?"

Tohru quickly asked him about the phone numbers, and was pleased when he had a solution. "Text messaging?" She asked in confusion.

Yuki nodded and pulled his cell out of his pocket. "I'll send one to Momiji and one to Haru. What did you want me to ask them?"

"Ask them to please call me."

Yuki pressed the buttons quickly. He was getting faster thanks to Kakeru. The guy always had something dumb to send him. He looked at Tohru curiously. "Is something wrong Honda-San?"

She looked up at him and shrugged. "Not really, it's just that Shigure-San is headed to the Sohma Estate. He said they want to send people out to look for Kyo-Kun." She paused waiting for a reaction. When he didn't give one she continued. "I just thought they might know if they had had any idea where he might be."

Yuki nodded in understanding. "Let me call a few people and I'll let you know what I find out."

Tohru smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Yuki-Kun." Before she could say anymore to him, the house phone rang. "oh, the phone!" She exclaimed and dashed from his room.

She reached the phone breathless and answered. "Hello, Sohma residence."

"Hello Tohru Honda."

Tohru stopped breathing as she recognized the voice. The voice she once believed belonged to a male. "Yes, Akito-San?"

"I'm glad I have your attention." Akito sighed heavily. "Do you remember what you agreed to, Honda?"

Tohru bit her nails nervously. "Y-yes, Akito-San. But Kyo-Kun escaped- "

"We found him."

Tohru's heart sped up. _They found him? _She almost dropped the phone in shock. "Th-that's-"

"Which means," Akito went on, ignoring Tohru. "you still have a deal. I'll let him go when you meet with them."

"Yes, Akito-San. When?"

"Well, I know I gave you a week, but that needs to be cut short." She listened and waited for Akito to continue. "You need to fulfill your agreement tonight."

**

* * *

**

Catalyna sat anxiously in the back of the car. Momiji's driver had arrived a few minutes before Vanessa and Angelo left, giving them enough time to slip in the back and hide. They were now following them on a dark road, with the head lights off and a lot of space in front of them.

Momiji pat her hand, seeing her popping her knuckles. "Calm down Lyna-Kun."

Catalyna turned to him and smiled nervously. "You know, maybe it's okay for you to just call me Lyna or Catalyna from now on."

Momiji only smiled in response. They both turned to watch out of the windshield. He wasn't sure where his driver had learned to follow anyone, but he was glad to have him. They were driving down a bumpy dirt road, having headed off the main road about twenty minutes before. He knew they were way out in the middle of no where, where there were endless possibilities that the two could be headed. There were houses out there, some very nice, new houses and some abandoned.

"Momiji, they're stopping." Catalyna pointed out of the windshield. They pulled in to the drive way of an old abandoned house. There were trees all around, much like Shigure's house. The driver stopped and they all watched in anticipation. Vanessa and Angelo got out of the back and headed for the front door. The headlights shut off and the last thing they saw was the two heading in and quickly shutting the door behind them.

"What do you think they're doing here?" Momiji asked Catalyna. He was weary of Vanessa and Angelo's driver. How could they get past him. He turned and looked at Catalyna when she didn't respond right away.

She seemed to had gone pale as she stared forward at the house. "There are a lot of things they could be doing here." She shivered at the memories of some of the things she seen. "One time they killed five woman and left them in a basement to rot. I saw them about a month after they had been down there, practically mutilated." She noticed Momiji tense up and the driver's eyes widen in the rear view mirror. "If they have Uotani, then it has to be here."

Momiji instructed his driver to hide and wait for them. He was so pleased that his driver knew exactly what he was doing. Catalyna got out first and immediately ran in to the trees. Momiji paused for a second to think. What if they got caught? What would happen to them? He tried to push those worries away as he got out and quickly followed her path. He almost tripped over a twig as he found her crouched behind a thick brush.

Catalyna turned to him and raised her brows. "We need to sneak all the way around. The back door is probably open." There was no moon out, so it was hard to make out anything in the trees. He had only been able to find her because of her white sweater. She pulled on his hand. "Come on, stay behind me and stay hidden."

They managed to make it all the way in to the back of the house without being noticed by the other driver. Catalyna was right; the back door was open. They both looked inside cautiously. It was completely dark and quiet.

"I'll go first." Momiji whispered as he stepped forward.

"No!" Catalyna whispered back frantically. She grabbed his arm and pulled him behind her. "I've done this before Momiji, I'll go first." She peered through the doorway and then turned to him one last time. "Shut your phone off." Then she headed in to the house.

Momiji hurried after her, his phone was on silent already, so there was no risk that it would go off. He looked around and tried to spot her, his eyes trying to adjust to the dark. It took a few seconds for him to realize she was right next to him, looking around and examining the room. There was one couch and a broken table. It looked like an old living room. Catalyna walked forward toward a doorway, her footsteps made no sound. Momji tried to stay as quiet as he followed her, but the floor creaked under his weight. She stopped at the doorway and looked through to the next room. It was a kitchen.

Momiji was breathing heavily as his heart pounded in his ears. Catalyna turned to him; she could hear his fear and sense it all over. She pressed her finger to her lips in a shushing motion. He nodded and tried to control his breath.

Without warning she quickly stepped through the kitchen and stopped at another empty doorway. He followed her, glad to have made little noise that time. She turned to him again and raised her hand toward his face. He held his breath when she instead grabbed his ear lobe between her finger tips and tugged it very gently, mouthing the word 'listen'. He listened carefully, trying to hear past the sound of his blood rushing through him. Voices were starting to come in to focus and it was easy to identify them. It was Angelo and Vanessa arguing it sounded with each other. He looked around trying to identify where they were coming from. Catalyna pointed through the door way and down a hall. Then she headed that way. Momiji crept behind her, glad that the floors were only dusty and had no debris. He could see more clearly now, and he followed when they entered what looked like a second living room and hid behind a wall, peering through another doorway. Catalyna was on the left side and Momiji gently knelt on the right. She pointed through the empty doorway to a closed door in the next room. He could hear them better now, and there was a third voice that yelled at them.

"You leave her alone!!"

Catalyna's eyes went wide at the same time the face flashed in to Momiji's mind. A yell of pain followed the words and a shiver ran through him.

They had found Uo.

Down in the basement the angry blonde was glaring at the two in front of her. Her cheek was red and swollen and her lip was bleeding. A cut was dripping slowly above her brow, but she wouldn't back down.

"You're no use to us anyways." Vanessa smirked as she toyed with a knife in her grasp. "We've had more help from that stupid Akito anyway. She's so determined to protect her family she would hand over that girl. Since we see you have no intention of aiding us, we'll just kill you now and then head over to that little house in the trees. Hopefully she's home, it would be a pain to have to look for her."

Angelo shifted his eyes to his cousin. "It should be easy, finding Catalyna's mother certainly was."

Uo's eyes widened as she looked up at them. "You killed her…?"

"That's right blondie, we killed her mother." Vanessa snapped and narrowed her eyes. She rolled them and looked away. "This is such a waste of time Angelo, let's hurry up and get this done. I'm sick of this country."

He nodded and sighed. "Well Arisa, it has been pleasant, but it's time for us to go." He glanced briefly at Vanessa. "Any last words?"

Uo breathed deeply and stared him directly in the eye. "Go to hell." She said with venom in her voice.

Vanessa laughed and shrugged at Angelo. Without a moment of hesitation, she plunged the knife in to Uo's abdomen, the hilt the only part sticking out of her.

She didn't even yell in pain.

Upstairs Momiji and Catalyna sat in silence, straining to hear movement. They hadn't heard much except the yelling, so they had no idea what was going on. Just when Catalyna was thinking of barging through that door, the distinct sound of heavy footsteps reached her ears and she held her breath. Momiji pulled his head out of the door way just as it opened. They listened as Angelo and Vanessa shut the door behind them.

"You know Vanessa, you're right." A burning hate ran in Catalyna's blood at the sound of Angelo's voice. "We need to finish this damn thing. I'm getting tired of Japan."

Vanessa laughed humorlessly. "It will be easy. That girl is possibly one of the weakest people I've ever seen. I don't really care if Akito is there yet. We'll just kill anyone who gets in our way." She laughed again. "Little Miss Honda will be our most thrilling kill yet."

She didn't have to be sitting next to Momiji to know he tensed up, it could be felt through the air. They started to walk away, and she waited until she could hear them leave. The creak of a door filled her ears and then the sound of it closing. She held her breath for a few moments, the silence pressing in on her. She turned her head to find Momiji staring at her with wide eyes. With a nod of her head she got up and headed for the door, Momiji following close behind.

* * *

"Akito, are you sure about this?"

Akito sat in the back of the car, wearing a very tired expression. Her eyes were red from rubbing, and her lids hung heavily. She turned to look at Kureno, her loyal pet. He looked to be very nervous and sick. His face was pale and his hands looked sweaty. "Yes Kureno, I'm very sure about this."

He fidgeted in his seat and looked around. "You don't have to do this. You could just call the police."

Akito smirked. There was no amusement in her eyes. "Kureno, the police would never be of help." With a deep sigh she closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the seat. "I must take care of my family myself. If that means handing over one stupid girl in exchange for safety, then it must be done."

Kureno looked at his hands, then asked the question that had been nagging him. "Akito, do they have Arisa Uotani?"

Akito shrugged. "That stupid girl's friend? I don't know. What does it matter?"

Kureno couldn't answer.

Akito opened her eyes and gazed at the red head. "You are mine. Worry not about some high school girl. Especially one that would befriend someone like Tohru Honda." She returned to looking out of the window. "When we get there and hand her over, our problems will be solved."

**

* * *

**

Catalyna grabbed the door knob of the basement, prepared to get Uotani out of there. She stopped before she turned the knob and looked up at Momiji. He was standing in front of her, eyes wide in worry. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Momiji, listen to me for a second." She took a deep breath. "You need to be ready for whatever we can find in here." She gestured toward the door. "Uotani may already be dead, they have done something terrible to her beyond imagination… and there could be others." She squeezed his shoulder. "You need to remain calm and promise me not to freak out."

Momiji nodded.

With a firm grip she turned the knob and pushed open the door. She held her breath, afraid of some smell of rotting bodies. She was glad to find there was no such thing. It was pitch dark in the room, so she fumbled on the wall and found a switch. With a flick a small light turned on and she spotted Uo in the middle of the room.

"Uotani!" She exclaimed and stepped forward. She almost fell on the stairs; she hadn't realized they were there. Momiji descended quicker than her and reached Uo first. He dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Uo-chan!" He grabbed her shoulder and gasped when he spotted the blood soaking through her shirt. "Lyna-Kun, she's hurt!"

Catalyna knelt in front of her and gasped at the wound. She looked up to find Uo looking at them in confusion. She seemed dazed and disoriented. "Uotani, do you know who we are?"

Uo nodded and her dazed expression vanished. "How did you guys get here?" She asked weakly.

"That doesn't matter." Momiji rolled up her shirt and looked away. The wound was really deep and bleeding quickly. "Oh god, Lyna-Kun…"

Catalyna made quick work of untangling the chains wrapped around Uo's hands. Once they were free, she grabbed the weak girl's wrists and placed her hands over her abdomen. "Apply pressure."

Uo shook her head at them. "You have to call Tohru!" She yelled suddenly. "They're going for her right now, you have to go and help her!"

Catalyna pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Momiji try to calm her down and you apply the pressure, I'm calling an ambulance."

"Come on Uo-chan, you need to stay calm." Momiji grabbed her hand and squeezed gently.

"No! They said Akito is going for her! They said they're going to kill her!" She pushed his hands away and stood up suddenly. "We have to go and stop them."

Momiji pulled his phone out and quickly called his driver. "Daske, did they- what?" He listened and gasped. "You did? Are they- uh huh." Pause. "Good, tell them she's in the basement!" He hung up and grabbed Catalyna's hand. "Hang up there's one here already!"

Catalyna hung up and didn't ask questions. She turned to Uo and made her sit down again. "Uotani, what exactly did they tell you?"

"They said they're going to kill her right now!" Uo grabbed Catalyna's arm. "We have to stop them."

Momiji grabbed Catalyna and pulled her toward the stairs. "Come on, we can get there quick."

"Uotani, there's an ambulance here for you, you'll be fine!" Catalyna let herself be pulled up the stairs.

They ran through the house and out of the front door. The flashing lights of the ambulance made them stop and blink for a moment. Two men ran past them and in to the house equipped with bags. After a moment of hesitation Momiji pulled Catalyna again and they ran toward his waiting driver.

They all but jumped in to the back. "Take us to Shigure's! Drive as fast as you can!" Momiji yelled as he threw his seat belt on. The driver nodded and made the fastest reverse Catalyna had ever seen.

She opened her phone and quickly found her house number. It rang four times and then was answered by Kyo. "Hello? Catalyna?"

"Kyo? Why are you- ?'"

"You're mom isn't here yet." He answered quickly. "Where have you been? I've tried calling a few- "

"Now's not the time." She yelled frantically in to the phone. "You have to get to Shigure's house NOW!" The driver made a spectacular turn about and sped on to the main road.

Kyo's voice turned serious. "Why? What's going on?"

Catalyna held on to her seat as the driver punched the gas, probably making the motor jump with the acceleration. "Kyo, Angelo and Vanessa are on they're way there. You need to get there and tell Tohru not to go with Akito no matter what!"

A thud echoed through the phone, followed by the sound of frantic footsteps, then the slam of a door.

* * *

Tohru sat alone in the living room, fully dressed and ready to go. She knew she had to hold up her end of the bargain with Akito, so sat with out any intention of telling Yuki. However, the Rat chose that moment to walk in to the living room and look at her curiously.

"Honda-San, what are you doing out here?"

Tohru fiddled with her hands in her lap. She couldn't think of any lie, plus he would be able to tell she was lying anyway. She decided the truth would be best. "I'm waiting for Akito-San."

Yuki's grey eyes widened. "Why are you waiting for him?" He asked a little too harshly.

Tohru looked at the floor and tried her best to remain calm. She was nervous enough as it is. "Because, I will be leaving with him."

"Why would you do that?" Yuki sat down next to her, concern weighing down his features.

She took a deep breath. "Yuki-Kun, Akito-San has Kyo-Kun with him. If I cooperate with him, he will release him."

Without thinking Yuki grabbed her hand. "You can't do that Honda-San. You can't trust him!" He said with finality. "You're not leaving with him."

Tohru sighed. "But I have to…"

"No you don't."

"Yes Yuki-Kun I have to do it for- "

The lights went out suddenly, cutting her off. She clutched his hand and whimpered, her fear of the dark surfacing. Yuki squeezed her hand in reassurance. "What the heck just happened?"

"Um, Yuki-Kun…" She blinked a few times, her eyes straining to see in the pitch black. "Maybe a tree fell or something…?" She felt him pull away and get up quickly. Straining her ears she heard him walk down the hall and pick up the phone.

"The phone is out too." He placed it back on the receiver and walked back down the hall and in to the living room. Instead of sitting back on the couch he headed for the window and looked out. "That's strange."

A sudden thump made them both jump. They're eyes traveled to the ceiling, where they heard a second thump come from upstairs. Tohru gasped and looked at Yuki in horror. "Yuki-Kun," She whispered. "There's someone upstairs…"

He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Placing a finger to his lips he leaned close to her face and looked her in the eyes. "Stay here." He whispered. She nodded and then he quietly made his way up the stairs.

At the top he looked around. Nothing seemed out of place and all the doors were closed, just as they had been when he descended. The thumping was coming from Tohru's room. Holding his breath he leaned against the door and quickly opened it.

He looked around curiously for the source of the sound, only to find Tohru's window open, wind causing it to thump against the wall. He breathed a sigh, not quite feeling relieved. A feeling of uncertainty crept under his skin, causing nervous perspiration to break out across his upper lip. Listening intently he tried to hear any signs of disturbance. Nothing.

Closing the door behind him he headed toward the stairs, and then stopped as something caught his eye. The door to the bathroom stood slightly ajar, when he swore it was closed a minute ago.

He sensed it before he knew that someone was standing directly behind him. Turning on his heel he struck out with his fist, but the dark form of a man caught it and glared at him. Yuki's heart jumped in his chest when he looked at those green eyes.

"Not smart, Yuki Sohma." With a swift movement he pushed Yuki with his palms with all the force he could. Yuki flew backward and collided with the wall.

Reacting quickly Yuki pushed against the wall and retaliated. He kicked at Angelo, aiming his heel at his abdomen. It connected and Angelo fell to the ground with a grunt.

Taking his chance Yuki ran toward the stairs, his heart pounding in his ears. "Honda-San, run!!" He yelled down the staircase.

Arms wrapped around him from behind and pulled him back ward in to the darkness of the hall. He kicked and writhed, trying to stomp on Angelo's foot or force him back in to a wall. Without a second to understand what was happening, Yuki's head was violently thrown in to the wall, plaster coming apart under the force.

Yuki's lanky form fell to the ground, red erupting under his eye lids from the pain. He opened his eyes but everything was out of focus. He wouldn't be able to stand.

Through his blurred vision, he watched with confusion as Angelo's thick form descended the stair case.

* * *

**A/N: Cliff hanger. Ha ha. One more chapter after this. I hope one more chapter, it might have to be two. Not sure yet. I can't believe it, it's finally gonna be done! This thing is too long… ha ha. Anyways, review people! Hope Tohru lives. **


	23. Not As Bad As Dead

**Chapter 23: Not As Bad As Dead**

"Honda-San, run!"

Tohru leaped off the couch at the sound of Yuki's yell. She ran to the bottom of the stair case and heard a loud thud, like something hitting the wall very hard. Then she heard the sound of something fall to the floor, followed by footsteps heading for the stairs. _Oh no…._

Her heart sank as Angelo stood at the top of the stairs for a moment. She could hardly see, but she could tell he smirked as he started down the stairs.

Without another moment of hesitation, she turned and ran for the door, throwing it open and sprinting out in to the cold night. She didn't dare turn to see if he had followed her, sure that if she took even a second to slow, she would be caught. Her sock clad feet pounded against the dirt as she ran in to the trees, her heart pounding along in synch. _Please don't let Yuki-Kun be dead, please let him be okay! _

Back at the house a lone figure ran up to the front yard, his orange hair a wreck from his sprint. Kyo stopped to breathe heavily as he observed the open door and dark windows. _Not a single light on…they're probably already here. _"Tohru!" He yelled as he ran inside, stopping to stare around at the dark. "Tohru! Yuki! Shigure!" He checked the kitchen quickly and then ran up the stairs.

At the top he stopped and looked around. All of the doors were closed. His heart pounded as the silence pressed on his ear drums. A nagging feeling was telling him to check Tohru's room. Slowly, he pressed his body against the door, and then pushed quickly and it flew open. He stood ready to defend himself, and was relieved to find everything undisturbed. He sighed in relief and left the room. "Hello?" He called out in the hall.

His breath stopped as a thud sounded from down stairs. Thankful for years of being the cat to teach him how to creep, he descended the stair case without a sound. He headed for the kitchen once again, knowing it was the only place the thud could have come from. At the doorway he stopped and looked around. One of the cupboards was open.

He left the kitchen and headed for the hallway, thinking to check the phone. Headlights suddenly flooded the living room and blinded him for a second. A black car stopped and the back doors opened. Before he could jump to conclusions and assume it was Angelo and Vanessa, the blonde head of Momiji popped out of one side and the black curly mop of Catalyna from the other. He headed for the front door.

Then someone grabbed him from behind.

Outside Catalyna ran around the car and headed for the front door. Momiji was right on her heel. They were about to go in when a voice called to them from behind.

"Momiji-Kun, Lyna-Kun!"

They both turned to see a breathless Tohru running up to them. Momiji almost hugged her before remembering about the curse. Catalyna hugged her anyway. "Tohru, why were you out there?"

"Angelo's here!" She said gasping. "He's in the house, I think he hurt Yuki." She clutched her side.

"He hurt Yuki!?" Momiji grabbed her shoulders. "What were you doing out there?"

"Angelo was gonna get me, but I ran. I came back cause he wasn't chasing me." She paused to breathe. "I don't know what happened to him."

"Have you seen Kyo?" Catalyna grabbed Tohru's arm and Momiji let go of her shoulders.

Tohru shook her head. "No, why would he be here?"

"He's been staying at Lyna-Kun's." Momiji explained. "He escaped and she ran in to him and then- "

"That doesn't matter right now." Catalyna cut him off. "Tohru, I told him that they were coming and he was headed over here."

Tohru's eyes went wide. "W-what if they got him?" She choked.

**

* * *

**

Kyo was lifted off of his feet as a hand covered his mouth. He was dragged away from the door and an arm wrapped around his throat. With a yell he threw his elbow back in to the stomach of who he knew had to be Angelo. The hand flew away from his mouth as Angelo stumbled back with a grunt. Kyo took his chance and shoved him down, his head smacking the ground with a loud crack. He sprinted up the stairs two at a time, his legs caring him toward his room. He grabbed the knob and threw himself in to the door.

An object hit his mouth with so much force it sent him flying to the ground. Pain shot through his head and blinded him for a moment. Blinking he looked around, his vision slightly blurred. He could see the form of a woman standing over him, a cane in her hand. He didn't need to be able to see to know it was Vanessa.

"You Sohma's sure are brainless." His vision cleared as she bent down and grabbed the front of his shirt. "The other one was easy enough to knock out." She looked over to the side of his bed.

Kyo followed her gaze to find Yuki unconscious and facedown on the floor. Anger erupted through him. "What did you do with Tohru!? " He demanded.

"Tohru?" She mocked. "Oh, right, Tohru Honda." She pulled him up roughly and held his face an inch away from hers. "She'll be dead soon."

Kyo glared at her. "I will kill you if you touch her."

Vanessa's eyes narrowed dangerously. Without a word she threw him to the floor. Her heel connecting with his knee. He yelled in pain and then grabbed the cane from her. He struck her in the shins with all his strength, and she crumbled to the ground with a cry of pain. Kyo scrambled to his feet, cane in hand.

Just as he looked up Angelo ran in to the door. His green eyes found Vanessa on the floor, clutching her shins. "You son of a bitch." Angelo whispered, eyes narrowed at Kyo. He stepped over Vanessa and lunged.

With a swing of the cane Kyo stumbled backward as Angelo's body collided with his. His back hit the wall as hands found his throat. Choking on air Kyo tried to knee him, but his legs were pinned under Angelo's weight. All his training seemed to be forgotten. Fear of Tohru's fate gripped him harder than anything else. With a last effort to get free he threw his head forward, striking Angelo in the nose. The man cried out and let go immediately, grabbing his nose and shaking his head as he hunched over. Kyo advanced on him and brought the cane down, striking Angelo in the back.

An angry sound erupted from the hunched form, and then he lunged at Kyo again, his shoulder connecting with the younger boys abdomen. Kyo tripped backward and they both hit the window.

The sound of breaking glass caught the attention of the three outside. They looked up as glass rolled off the roof not ten feet away from them. Tohru screamed as the two tangled bodies rolled down the roof and right off the edge. "Kyo!" She shrieked as the orange hair came in to view.

Kyo hit the ground on his side, the wind knocked out of him. He gasped and tried to breathe, but Angelo was already up and advancing. Kyo braced himself as Angelo grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet, a long silver knife glinting in his grasp.

Everything suddenly came back to him as he glimpsed Tohru in his peripheral vision. Swiftly he ducked and threw his knee in to Angelo's gut.

Catalyna reached in to her back pocket and pulled out a switch blade, and with a click flipped it open. Momiji yelled from her left and she looked over, an unexpected blow hit her in the cheek. She stumbled back in shock.

"You pathetic child!"

Tohru gasped as Vanessa grabbed Catalyna by the hair and pulled. A yell left the girls mouth as she swiped at Vanessa with the blade. Momiji was on the ground, and another yell came from behind her. She turned to find Kyo on his back, staring up at Angelo in fear. The man towered over him, the long knife in his hand.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to play nice?" Angelo placed the tip of the knife against Kyo's throat. "No, she only wished for death because of you."

Kyo swallowed, no escape presented itself. He had never looked death in the face before. _Just let Tohru be okay…_

Catalyna sliced Vanessa's shoulder open and pushed her down. Momiji was on his feet now, and he looked between the two females. Catalyna saw Tohru frozen, staring at Angelo hovering over Kyo. The silver glinted in the moon, and before she could think twice she ran and jumped onto his back with a shriek. She grabbed a handful of his hair as she held the switch up to his neck, pulling mercilessly and drawing blood with the blade.

The click of a gun hit Momiji's ears and he turned in time to see Vanessa stand and point one at Catalyna. "NO!" He screamed and ran at her. He tackled her to the ground as she pulled the trigger.

_BANG!!!_

Catalyna turned. "MOMIJI!!" In that moment of weakness Angelo reached back and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her over his head and slamming her to the ground. White crossed her vision as her spine cracked the ground.

Angelo looked up as Kyo ran at him. He met the cat head on and then threw him to the ground. With murder in his eyes he threw punches in to Kyo's abdomen.

Tohru looked around frantically. Catalyna had rolled on to her stomach and was clutching her back, and Momiji lay motionless as Vanessa groaned and shook her head. Angelo got up, leaving Kyo gasping on his back. He went over to Vanessa and picked up the gun. Green eyes met Tohru's as he raised the gun at her. He paused to smirk. "Now you die, Tohru Honda, any last words?"

Random memories flew threw her mind. Her mom fixing dinner, a scowl upon her face. Kyo breaking threw the roof, fighting Yuki and then running off. Rin weeping in her lap, and Momiji telling her not to tell that his mom didn't know about him. Uo's face when they first met. Hanajima threatening to zap people with her waves. She opened her mouth, only to close it again. She had nothing to say, so stood in silence. A whole minute seemed to pass as she stood waiting for him to pull the trigger. Angelo grew impatient.

"Are you going to say anything? Or are you just gonna stand there like some stupid nim- "

He was cut off as Catalyna drove the switch in to his back. His eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open. Tohru gasped as Catalyna pulled the switch out and stabbed him again. With a yell of fury she stabbed him a third time. Angelo fell to the ground, groaning as Catalyna looked up at Tohru. Catalyna opened her mouth to speak.

BANG!

Tohru screamed. "Lyna-Kun!!" as Catalyna fell to the ground clutching her side. Vanessa stood a few feet away, the end of the gun smoking slightly. She then turned to Tohru, a smirk on her lips. With uneasy steps she made her way toward the frozen girl. Before she could reach her Vanessa was grabbed from behind.

"Get away from her!" Kyo yelled as he pinned her arms behind her back, the gun falling from her grasp. She threw her head back and with a grunt he stumbled back. She was on him before he could recover. She wrapped her fingers around his throat, effectively cutting off his air. He reached out to grab hers, but she used all her force and choked him until his knees gave out beneath him. She followed him down still cutting off his breath with her snake like fingers.

"You shouldn't of interfered." She spit at him. "No one ever gets away from us, no matter what."

BANG!

Vanessa's dark eyes widened in horror and her grip loosened around Kyo's neck. He blinked a few times as she fell sideways, crumbling to the ground. Kyo sat up; blood ran on the grass from the back of her skull, where he could see the small bullet hole. Tearing his orange eyes away from her, he looked up to find Tohru standing shakily with the gun in her hand, down at her side. Her face was drained of color and her eyes were empty of any emotion.

Carefully Kyo got to his feet and walked over to her. Placing his hand on hers he gently pulled the gun away and set it on the ground. This caused her to turn her head and look at him in confusion, as though waking from a dream. The confusion was only there for a second, and then it was replaced by disbelief. Her lips parted. "Kyo-Kun, I…" She trailed off.

"It's alright, she's dead…and I think he is too." He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned to look at Angelo. He was now motionless, his eyes closed and unmoving. Kyo couldn't tell if he was breathing.

"W-what do we do now?" She watched him with guarded eyes. "Do we call the police?"

Kyo met her gaze. "I don't know…" He swallowed and blinked once. "Tohru, I…"

Before he could finish a black car drove up and was followed by three police cars. The four doors opened and out poured Hatori, Shigure, Ritsu, Hiro and Ayame. The police were out and checking on the fallen people. As though suddenly remembering Kyo turned away from Tohru. He kneeled next to Catalyna, relieved to find her awake and responding to the police. Next he got up and walked over to Momiji. He was unconscious, a bullet wound on his abdomen. Worry filled his heart.

"Momij-Kun, Lyna-Kun…" Tohru was suddenly there next to him. He looked back to see the other Sohma's around Catalyna; she was telling them what happened. It didn't occur to him to wonder what the others were doing there in the first place, and so prepared. And where was Akito? Wasn't he supposed to be here? He looked away from the others, meeting Tohru's teary eyes. "Kyo-Kun…"

His heart leapt at the sight of her tears. Lifting his hand he brushed her cheek with his fingers. "Tohru," His voice was soft. "Tohru, I'm sorry I didn't…." He couldn't finish. Instead he pulled her to him, his arms finding the right places around her body. It didn't occur to him to worry about the transformation. He didn't care. "I love you, Tohru."

"I love _you_, Kyo." She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the cat to appear. After several seconds slipped by of nothing they pulled apart. Red lights flashed across their faces as an ambulance pulled up. Shock crossed her face. "Kyo-Kun, you didn't change! The curse must be- "

She didn't finish as he pulled her to his chest again, savoring the feel of the embrace. _Is this real? Could the curse be broken? But how…? _

Around them chaos took place and no one disturbed them for a few minutes. Then an officer cleared his throat next to them and began to ask questions.

**

* * *

**

**Afterwards: Going On**

"Kyo-Kun, Shishou-San is here!"

Tohru opened the door cheerfully on Saturday morning, the gray haired man stepping in with a smile. It was the day when Kyo would go help his father out at the dojo, and she smiled at the thought of him working with children. She led Kazuma in to the kitchen and poured him some tea.

"I'm glad you are smiling again." Kazuma said after sipping some tea. "It was awful to see someone so cheerful unwilling to smile."

Red filled her cheeks and her eyes found the ground in modesty. "Kyo-Kun is smiling more now." She laced her fingers together. "I couldn't be happier."

The air around the man changed. "How are they holding up?"

Brown eyes turned weary. "I'm not sure. Uo-Chan is okay. Momiji-Kun is recovering slowly, but Lyna-Kun…" She stopped and looked up at Kazuma. "I'm worried about her."

Kazuma lowered the tea from his mouth. "May I ask why that is?"

Hesitantly Tohru spoke. "They killed her mother. She only worries about what she'll do once she's out of the hospital. You see, all of her immediate family is dead, and the rest are just like Vanessa and Angelo."

Empathy clouded Kazuma's gaze. "Perhaps she could stay in Japan."

Tohru turned her head to look out of the window. A determined look claimed her face. "I apologize Shishou-San, but I have something I should do."

Kazuma nodded. "It is not a problem. Kyo should be ready anyway."

On cue Kyo entered the kitchen with a small bag in his hand. His orange hair fell slithly over his eyes as he regarded the two with suspicion. "What are you two up to?"

"Not a thing." Kazuma placed his empty cup on the counter. "Come, Kyo, the students won't wait forever." With that he left the two alone in the kitchen.

Kyo placed his hand on Tohru's arm and ran his finger down until it reached her hand. With uncertainty he linked their fingers together and waited for her to look at him.

"Kyo-Kun, what can we do for Lyna-Kun?" She asked without meeting his eyes. Her hand squeezed his and he returned the pressure.

"We could let her stay here. Or maybe at the Sohma Estate." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Not that I would wish that on her. But Akito should show hi- " He stopped and amended his mistake. "_her _gratitude. After all, she was ready to hand you over to them."

Tohru nodded in agreement. Akito had shown up later and upon seeing the chaos left. "Go, Kyo-Kun, Shishou-San is waiting." When he didn't move to leave she looked up and met his eyes. Raising herself on tip toe she gently pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Kyo smiled when she pulled away, a dazed look in his eyes. "Okay, I'll go."

With that he walked away and Tohru ran out of the kitchen to prepare to leave.

**

* * *

**

"I want to read."

Catalyna sat up in her bed at the hospital, eyes fixed on the blonde sitting at the end of her bed. She blinked as his blue eyes changed from joyful to unreadable. Over the past week it had been this way; she would sit in her bed and Momiji would leave his to be with her. He had video games and cards and some movies and a portable DVD player, but her mind was filled with worry. What would she do? Where would she go? She didn't belong in America, and any happiness in Central or South America she had was gone. All of her family was exactly like Vanessa and Angelo. She was relieved when she heard Angelo had suffered paralysis at the stab wounds she inflicted. Now, she waited until she was ready to leave. Momiji was trying to keep her mind off of things.

"Are you thinking about it again?" Momiji asked in his deeper voice. She had come to realize he only used it with her. "Because you don't need to worry anymore. You'll be staying with me once we're out."

That was another thing. Momiji had been insisting she live with him. His argument was that he was practically alone all the time anyway, and why not? He should take care of her. The idea was enticing and she was tempted to accept, but could it really be? "Momiji, how do you know things would be okay? We're young, living together would be dumb."

A hurt light was in his eyes. "Lyna-Kun, I…I think I've fallen in love with you. I want you to be safe, no matter what."

Catalyna wasn't surprised, but she was touched. She knew she loved him when he was shot and everything seemed to break to pieces in her heart. He was definitely a lot better, and lucky too. That bullet should have killed him, but somehow it didn't hit anything vital. Her wound was a deep graze and the way she hit her back wasn't good news either. It was really tender and would ache if she moved it wrong. She smiled at him. "I already love you, it's just…how could I impose on you that way?"

He looked incredulous. "Impose? How is that imposing? I want you there. Where else would you go?"

She winced as she shifted wrong. He left the end of the bed and settled beside her. She leaned against him. "How about we try it for a week?"

Momiji looked down at her and smiled. "Yeah, that sounds good. And if it works and we like it, then we can stay like that." He lowered his face until his lips hovered an inch away from hers. "And it's going to work, trust me." He whispered and then placed his mouth on hers. She shyly accepted the kiss and hugged him around the waist.

**

* * *

**

"Is Catalyna Lorenzo still awake?"

Tohru quickly received a nod from a nurse and then made her way to an elevator. She twisted her hands together, nervous about seeing Catalyna. She wasn't sure why, she had gone to see her everyday. Some how she felt this one was different.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. She walked out and headed down the deserted hallway. Once she reached the room she walked inside and smiled. Momiji was asleep right next to her, on top of the blanket and with their fingers entwined. Catalyna sat awake, reading from what she could see was a fantasy novel. She looked up when Tohru made a noise and smiled warmly. "Tohru, hi." She greeted her quietly. "Momiji hasn't slept much these last couple of days, so I don't want to wake him."

Tohru nodded and sat in the chair right next to her. "I'll try to stay quiet." She had apologized to Catalyna numerous times for not acting quickly that night. Somehow she couldn't bring herself stop. "I'm sorry, Catalyna… I should of- "

"Okay, stop." Catalyna cut her off and held up her hand. "Don't say sorry anymore, it's over and done with." She waited to see if Tohru would say anything, and when she didn't she continued. "There is nothing to forgive and everything is just fine now."

"But it's not, Lyna-Kun." Tohru pleaded with her. "Once you're out of the hospital I want you to come stay with me."

Catalyna regarded her in confusion for a moment. "I'm going to stay with Momiji for a while."

Tohru's eyes widened. "Momiji? But why?"

Catalyna half shrugged. "He's been offering, and, well, why the hell not? I love him and he's wonderful to me."

Tohru smiled suddenly. "Well, then I'm happy for you."

Catalyna nodded and then looked down at the comforter around her. "My mother's funeral is tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Lyna-Kun."

"Don't be, it was bound to happen one of these days." She raised her head and gazed at the ceiling. "It's as though our time spent tracking them and destroying their plans was all based on luck. We've been very lucky so many times." She turned her eyes to Tohru. "Her luck ran out before mine."

Without knowing what to say Tohru stayed silent, willing Catalyna to say anything she wanted.

"Go, Tohru, go home and spend time with Kyo." Catalyna pat Tohru's hand, which was resting on the comforter. "Go do laundry or something."

Tohru nodded and stood up. She said her goodbyes and headed home.

Once at her destination she found there was wet laundry that needed to be hung. So she took a basket of wet clothes and headed out of the back, the line empty of any apparel. She set the basket down and looked out at the trees, no longer fearing any eyes upon her. After some half hour she was so caught up she hadn't realized Kyo taking a towel from the basket and hanging it next to her. She was startled as she discovered his presence. "Kyo-Kun, what are you doing here?"

He smiled down at her. "Helping you out." He finished with the towel and reached down for another. "So what happened with Catalyna?"

Tohru sighed. "She'll be staying with Momiji-Kun."

Kyo raised his brows. "Wow, that's weird."

"What is?"

"It's just that I didn't think anything was serious between them." He blew air out of his mouth and up, his bangs bugging his eyes. "I thought it was a… I don't know, non committed relationship?"

Tohru shook her head. "No, they're quite serious." She struggled with a blanket and Kyo helped her. "I think they're great together."

"I still need to thank her." Kyo said suddenly, his eyes turning distant.

"Thank her?"

"For keeping me at her house when I had no where else to go." The corner of his mouth pulled up. "It was boring having to hide, but at least she spared me having to run away very far."

"You can thank her tomorrow. She's resting now."

Kyo placed his arm around her shoulder. "It's strange, but in a way I'm relieved that Rat wasn't hurt worse."

"Concussions are pretty bad."

"Not as bad as dead."

They're eyes met and they smiled. Tohru hadn't felt so relieved in years. Her heart seemed to be permanently on happy, which was nothing to complain about. Kyo headed inside to start dinner and Tohru finished up the laundry. She bent down to lift the basket when a crack from the trees caused her to look up.

At first she was frightened, but then she stopped herself. Her problems were over, there was no one in the trees waiting for her. Shrugging she lifted the basket. She had already stood and fought against the ruthless, what could a small crack in the woods possibly do to her? Nothing, not a single thing.

With a smile on her lips she headed inside.

* * *

**A/N: THE END!! Yay I finished it! Geeze it took me forever! Never am I writing such long chapters again, never!! Anyhow, thank you to those who have read, reviewed and followed this story. I will be finishing my other one and then I will write a Mortal Instruments story. So if you're in to that look out for when I decide to start it. **


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